


The World of Fear

by Toon_Lover_Kost



Series: The World That Could Be [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types
Genre: Battlin' Boxers, Constellars, Death, Dimension Travel, Duel Monsters, Duel Terminal, End of the World, Evilswarm, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Gishki, Infernoid, LGBTQ Themes, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Universe, PSY-Frame, Possession, Post-Time Skip, Psychic Abilities, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Supernatural Elements, toon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25314118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toon_Lover_Kost/pseuds/Toon_Lover_Kost
Summary: A Yu-Gi-Oh! card game-based story set in an Original Universe, and a sequel to "The World That Could Be", taking place 20 years after the events of the first work in a world where humans and Duel Spirits co-exist. Features popular monsters and archetypes from Yu-Gi-Oh!'s competitive past.
Series: The World That Could Be [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833535
Kudos: 10





	1. Unity

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on a collaborative roleplay originally hosted in Dueling Network Forums, which I can't link because the site has been offline since 2017. Even more so than the first instalment, the second iteration of that roleplay was extremely messy, so many changes needed to be made in order for the story to make some semblance of sense. Reading the first work in the series is helpful, but not required. I hope you'll enjoy~!

‘New Arcadia’.

That was the name written in fluorescent font on a ticket held by a pale-skinned, effeminate-looking young man who waited patiently at a small station. He sat on a bench, shuffling his brown deck of cards and testing various opening hands. Absentmindedly, his eyes fell on a holographic billboard next to him, which advertised a famous fashion firm’s latest line of male swimwear; A male model with raven hair and a perfectly toned abdomen was posing to a beach backdrop.

“What a show-off.” The effeminate youth muttered under his breath, sliding his cards into his deck box. He boarded a silver hovertrain that arrived shortly.

Inside, he happened to sit next to a kid with bright red hair, who quickly tried to start a conversation with him. “Hi, my name is Alex! Alex J. Bright. Are you a Duelist too?”

“Nice to meet you, Alex. I’m Volantis Z. Butterfly.” The young man introduced himself in kind. “And no, I have a deck, but I haven’t gotten my Dueling license yet.”

Alex tilted their head curiously. “Really? How come? You’re older than me.”

“Health reasons…” Volantis nervously replied, running a hand through his long, blue hair.

“I see…” Alex frowned slightly, looking outside the window. “It’s crazy to think that 20 years ago, people didn’t even know that Duel Spirits existed. My family always knew, though, thanks to our heritage. My folks were overjoyed when the Unity Act was signed.” They turned back to Volantis with a questioning look. “How are you gonna compete in the Unity Cup without a license?”

“I’ll get one as soon as we get to New Arcadia.” The blue-haired youth answered. “My deck and I go way back, so we should have no difficulty convincing the judges. Will you be competing too, Alex?”

“Of course! A chance to meet the Arcadian Survivors… I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” The red-haired kid beamed, kicking their legs back and forth. “Matteo de Souza, ambassador of both Duel Spirits and humans. The Unity Act was his brainchild! Kase Heiji, spiritual leader of the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom, and 4-time Unity Champion! And then there’s Hierophant William Tarott, the second strongest magician in the world!”

“You sure know a lot about the Survivors.” Volantis observed. “Are you a fan of them?”

“Heh. I guess I kinda am!” Alex snickered, rubbing the back of their head.

After a few more hours of friendly banter between the two and sharing various Dueling tips, the hovertrain finally entered a massive, futuristic metropolis filled with state of the art architecture and skyscrapers that pierced the clouds. Its industrialist side was beautifully juxtaposed with ample patches of green and towering trees that stood side to side with the tall, glass buildings. The well organized roads were filled with cars and other common vehicles, while hundreds of Winged Beasts, Dragons and giant Insects casually flew around in the city’s airspace. It looked like the perfect marriage between civilization and nature; Humans and Duel Spirits co-existing in harmony.

“This is it! New Arcadia! It looks even better than I imagined!” Alex rejoiced, practically gluing their face to the window.

“Indeed. It’s hard to believe that a city like this only took a few years to build.” Volantis mused, staring in awe as well.

“That’s what happens when humans and Duel Spirits work together!” Alex happily nodded.

Four gigantic holograms appeared over the city. Four larger than life figures, each with a very distinct appearance, were there to greet the newcomers.

“That’s them! That’s the Survivors!” Alex tugged at Volantis’ sleeve excitedly.

“I can tell, you don’t have to keep pointing it out!” Volantis retorted.

The more imposing of the four figures, a white-haired man garbed in imperial-looking robes, spoke. “Greetings, everyone. Matteo de Souza is currently dealing with an uprising in the Middle East, so he unfortunately cannot be here with us tonight. All the same, welcome to New Arcadia!”

“Kase Heiji…” Volantis pensively rubbed his chin. “I wonder what kind of man he is to be able to juggle being one of the strongest Duelists in the world, as well as leading an entire nation.”

“He’s not just a man. He’s half Duel Spirit, you know.” Alex pointed out. “That’s William Tarott. It is the dream of every kid born with magical talent to be apprenticed to him.” The redhead further explained, while pointing at the figure dressed in lavish, wizardly robes. “And that’s Xavier St. Croix.” They added, pointing at a nearly middle-aged man wearing a fancy suit and golden shades. “He’s the biggest celebrity out of all of them. He’s so famous, that film studios pay a fortune to have him star in their movies instead of actual actors!”

“If you know everything about them, then who’s that woman?” Volantis pointed at the last figure, a cloaked woman with a hood that obscured most of her facial features.

Alex scratched their head nervously. “Well, you know how William Tarott is only the second strongest magician? She is THE strongest magician! Though, nothing is known about her other than her name… Alice.”

Up on a distant rooftop stood a girl whose messy, white hair moved with the wind. Blue, lusterless eyes observed the four holograms towering over the city, focusing on one figure in particular. She bit her lower lip, while her dainty hands grasped the guardrail tightly, applying enough pressure to bend the steel beam.

“This shall be the 15th annual Unity Cup, a tradition that we hope will continue for many more years to come.” The hologram of Kase Heiji continued his speech. “20 years ago, the terrorist organization known as ‘The World’ unleashed a horrible monster that destroyed the old Arcadia, killing hundreds of thousands…”

He and his colleagues fell silent for a few moments, out of respect for the lives that were lost.

“Their deeds were unforgivable, but their message was one that needed to be heard. The wondrous beings known as Duel Spirits could no longer be oppressed by humans. Thus, the Unity Act was made to protect their rights. Today, the privilege to hold a Duel Disk is granted only to those who prove themselves worthy. Those who fight with their Duel Spirits as one heart and soul, instead of using them as mere tools. The Unity Cup is a challenge meant to strengthen their bonds.”

Kase raised his hand, almost like an emperor about to give a decree. “So, may the challenge begin! It’s time to Duel the right way!”

And the humans and monsters alike that inhabited this dreamlike city unanimously cheered.


	2. Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Unity Cup begins with some exciting Duels!

Volantis walked out of what looked like a cold and imposing government building, while wearing a warm smile on his face.

“So? How did it go?” Anxiously asked Alex, who approached him.

“I passed their test. I’m now officially a Duelist!” Volantis proudly announced, revealing a brand new Duel Disk strapped around his wrist. “I think this calls for a celebratory Duel.”

“A Duel? Between you and me?” Alex tilted their head in confusion.

“Why not?” The effeminate youth shrugged. “The Unity Cup is still a competition, and we both equally want to win. Besides, I can think of no better way to have my first official Duel than playing with a friend.”

The young redhead nodded in agreement. “Alright, but I’ll have to warn you, I’m not gonna hold anything back. My Gishki will blow you out of the water!”

“Give me your best. My Constellars will light the way to victory!” Volantis smirked.

“DUEL!” They exclaimed in unison, activating their Duel Disks.

Alex eagerly started off by using the effects of various piscine amphibian Gishki monsters, in order to supply their hand with the exact materials needed to perform a marvelous Ritual Summon. “Rise from your millennial slumber, Gishki Zielgigas!” Alex exclaimed, as their ace monster appeared on their field; A gargantuan, grotesque mix between a humanoid rhinoceros beetle and a fishman, sporting four beefy arms decked with golden bracelets.

“A Ritual Summon on the first turn… You know your deck well.” Volantis complimented them.

“Of course I do!” The redhead happily nodded. “My family are distant descendants of the Gishki tribe, after all. See this?” They revealed an antique pendant with a shiny shard of glass on it. “It’s said to be a piece of the real Gishki Aquamirror! My grandpa gave it to me, and he got it from his grandpa.”

Volantis acknowledged the pendant, smiling. “That’s very interesting. You’re skilled, but now it’s time to show you what we can do!” He declared, drawing his next card. His own monsters, which he summoned en masse, were majestic space knights named after noteworthy stars and constellations. “Now, I build the overlay network using my Constellar Virgo and my Constellar Zubeneschamali. XYZ SUMMON! Appear and come forth, Rank 5, Constellar Pleiades!” A large warrior clad in brilliant white and gold armor finally graced his field, striking a dynamic pose.

“By detaching an Xyz material, I can activate Constellar Pleiades’ effect, sending your Gishki Zielgigas back to your hand!” Volantis explained, as Pleiades pointed his lustrous blade at the aquatic giant.

“Oh no!” Alex gasped, covering their mouth.

“Oh yes! These are some great shots, Henry!” A rather expressive fashion photographer exclaimed, while frantically taking pictures with his camera. “Come on, girls, shower him with love. He’s a bad boy, all the ladies want him!”

Despite all lights in the studio pointing at him, and despite being surrounded by a throng of bodacious female models, the young man who was the center of the photographer’s attention looked remarkably bored. He couldn’t even muster a smile, as if for him, the life of a supermodel was simply going through the motions.

After the photoshoot was over, a secretary with an earpiece approached him. “Mr. Crawford, your mother is on the phone.”

The black-haired youth frowned in clear annoyance. “Must you say that out loud?”

Later, ‘Mr. Crawford’ returned to his elaborate penthouse suite. “Ugh! I cannot fathom her!” He groaned, slamming the door behind him. “Henry, dear, would it kill you to smile once in a while? The whole broody bad boy look is starting to lose its shine.” He ranted in a mocking, high-pitched tone.

“Your impression of your mother needs a lot of work, if you ask me.” Another man snarkily chimed in. He was wearing grey overalls.

Henry raised a confused eyebrow. “Who are you?”

The man gave a quick bow. “I’m Hans Stovoje, the new custodian. I came to fix some faulty lighting.”

“So, you’re a janitor.” Henry said drily. “Make yourself scarce. I need some private time.”

“No problem, boss. My work was done anyway.” Hans saluted and went on his way.

Left to his devices, the Crawford heir disrobed and stepped into the shower. “She just doesn’t understand me…” He muttered as he stood under the showerhead, letting hot, steamy water crash against his head and shoulders. “Nobody in this happy-go-lucky city understands!”

“Good game!” Alex shook Volantis’ hand warmly. “You beat me fair and square.”

“Kudos to you and your deck as well.” The Constellar Duelist smiled in return.

Their mutual kudos-giving was interrupted by the sounds of another ongoing Duel nearby, so the two of them went to check what the ruckus was about.

“Let’s get ready to rumble! My Battlin’ Boxers are gonna knock you out!” A tanned, athletic youth boasted. On his left fist was a stylized Duel Disk shaped like a boxing glove, while his field was crowded with brawny, humanoid monsters that looked like they belonged in a ring.

“Not bad, Rocky. Now it’s my turn!” A lanky man with extremely unkempt hair and a pencil thin mustache said, drawing a card. He looked more like a washed up vaudevillian than a Duelist, wearing a dirty button-up shirt, red suspender pants with a matching bowtie, and a striped tailcoat that was patched in several places. “Everything’s better with Toons, so I activate my Toon Kingdom!” He activated a Field Spell card in the form of a giant pop-up book from which a funny-looking, nimble castle popped out.

“Next, I activate Comic Hand, stealing your Battlin’ Boxer Lead Yoke!” The weirdly-dressed man added, as a giant, gloved hand suddenly grabbed the hulking, gladiator-esque warrior.

“No, my monster!” The Battlin’ Boxer Duelist cried out.

“It’s MY monster now. Not only that, but Comic Hand also turns Lead Yoke into a Toon!” His opponent explained, as the mighty gladiator transformed into a rounder, funnier version of itself that looked like it had jumped straight out of an old-timey cartoon. “Now, Toon Lead Yoke, let’s bypass all those side characters and attack directly! It’s time to win this Duel!”

“Argh!” The boxer wannabe grunted in pain, his Life Points reduced to zero from the attack.

“That was a good Duel, you two.” An approaching Volantis clapped his hands. He turned to the winner. “Your deck sure was… interesting. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“Of course you haven’t. This deck is one of a kind, bucko!” The eccentric Toon user replied, before bowing deeply, as a stage actor bowed to his audience. “My name is Mortimer Williams the Third. And this fellow whose patootie I just whooped is named Rocky.”

“Nice to meet you… I’m Volantis Z. Butterfly, and this is Alex J. Bright.” The effeminate young man gestured to his companion. He then flinched. “Wait, your name is actually Rocky?”

“Yeah, it was my nickname in highschool because I was in the boxing team, and it kinda stuck.” The Battlin’ Boxer specialist replied, before slapping his own cheeks twice. “Man, it sucks that I lost the first Duel of the tournament! I guess that means I’m out.”

“Not really. The first round of the tournament is point-based.” Alex helpfully pointed out. “That means it doesn’t matter if you lose a few Duels, as long as you gather enough points to make it to the second round.”

Rocky’s eyes lit up at the news. “Really? That’s awesome! I’d better catch up then. See ya!” He excitedly ran off… only to immediately bump into a bystander and fall on top of them. “Oof! Sorry, are you alri--”

His breath was taken away mid-apology. Lying underneath him was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon! Sure, she looked like she was about to tear him to shreds, but all he saw from his point of view were a pair of captivating blue eyes and white hair that smelled incredibly nice. “I love you! I mean… do you need any help?” The flustered youth stammered.

The girl angrily pushed him off, getting up on her own. “Your kindness is repulsive! Don’t you EVER touch us again!” She all but snarled, before turning her attention to Volantis. “You, holder of the Constellars, our mortal enemy. Duel us right now!” She demanded, as a pitch-black, Duel Disk-like apparatus around her wrist jerked to motion, extending two blades on either side that looked like stag beetle pincers.

“What’s up with that chick? Do you know each other?” Mortimer asked Volantis.

“No, but I sense great… evil in her.” The Constellar user replied, his tone very foreboding. “I have to do this… I mean, me and Virgo have to do this.”

With that, he stepped forward and activated his Duel Disk. “Alright, I accept your challenge. It’s time to Duel!”


	3. Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volantis Duels the girl called Sucillia.

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as Volantis and the mysterious woman began their Duel. There was an underlying sense of foreboding, as if this wasn’t going to be another run-of-the-mill card game, but a recreation of an epic battle of legend.

“We begin by summoning Rescue Rabbit, using its effect to bring out 2 Evilswarm Heliotropes from our deck.” The white-haired girl declared, as an adorable, safety helmet-wearing rabbit hopped into her field.

“Oh, look at the cute little bunny!” Mortimer squeed, clasping his white-gloved hands.

The rabbit’s body wobbled and bulged unnaturally, until it exploded, a pair of nightmarish golems climbing out of its carcass.

“Eek! Bad bunny! Bad bunny!” Mortimer shrieked, wrapping his arms around Rocky.

“Evilswarm… So, our Duel Spirits really are mortal enemies.” Volantis calmly mused. “I’m sorry, but I never got your name.”

“Sucillia Nevermore.” The woman curtly replied, her blue eyes shifting to a fiery orange hue. “We will eliminate the inheritor of the Constellars! We will eradicate! We will exterminate! XYZ SUMMON! Emerge, dragon of infection, Rank 4, Evilswarm Ophion!” Her black Duel Disk shook erratically, emitting highly distorted, otherworldly sounds. Her two monsters were overlaid with one another, giving way to a quadruped dragon with icy wings, covered in obsidian armor that resembled the hide of a scarab.

“We know your deck.” Sucillia stated. “Your Constellar Pleiades requires Level 5 monsters as materials, but Evilswarm Ophion forbids any such monsters from being summoned.”

“That means I won’t be able to get the right materials out…” Volantis muttered is shock. With his more powerful monsters rendered unusable due to that restriction, he was forced to play defensively for the next couple of turns, setting monsters in Defense position.

“You can do it, Volantis! Don’t give up!” Alex shouted at him.

“Yeah, and if all else fails, just cheat!” Mortimer encouraged him in his own way.

The blue-haired youth turned to them with a genuine smile. “Thanks, guys. Sorry I doubted myself.” He drew his next card, which only made his smile widen. “Mortimer had the right idea… I’ll just have to ‘cheat’. I summon Constellar Pollux, whose effect allows me to Normal Summon an additional monster, that being Constellar Kaus.” Just like that, two new shining knights appeared on his field. “Kaus’ effect raises both his and Pollux’s Levels by 1.”

“You nuisance…” Sucillia gritted her teeth in annoyance.

“Evilswarm Ophion only prevents Level 5 or higher monsters from being summoned. It can’t prevent monsters from raising their own Level to 5. I can now build the overlay network. XYZ SUMMON! Come forth, Rank 5, Constellar Pleiades!” Volantis’ ace monster gloriously entered the fray, pointing his blade at Sucillia’s infected dragon. “And of course, I activate Pleiades’ effect, sending Ophion back to your Extra Deck!”

And with Ophion gone, the momentum shifted in his favor, eliminating any chance of his opponent making a comeback in her next turn. Volantis’ own eyes momentarily glowed with a bright, golden hue, while his voice sounded more feminine than usual. “Constellar Pleiades, vanquish all that is evil and wicked! Direct attack!” With that, Pleiades decimated the Evilswarm user’s remaining Life Points.

After the Duel, the ragtag group consisting of Volantis, Alex, Mortimer and Rocky went to a local bar to share some drinks in celebration of their fellow Unity Cup participant’s victory.

“That girl… She ran off before I even got a chance to ask for her phone number.” Rocky lamented, drowning his sorrows in several glasses of ginger ale.

“Sounds like somebody is in L-O-V-E!” Mortimer teased him.

Alex comforted the heartbroken boxer by patting him on the back, before turning to the Constellar Duelist. “Congratulations again, Volantis. That comeback was amazing! You are now one step closer to making it to the Top 8!”

“You know what? We should come up with a name for our team.” Mortimer suggested.

Volantis stared at him confusedly. “We’re a team? Since when?”

The flamboyant Toon user fiddled with one end of his mustache, ignoring the question. “Hmm, how about… Team Light. You play a deck chock-full of Light monsters, and Alex’s last name is Bright, so it fits!” He proposed.

“Team Light… I kinda like it!” Alex chimed in.

“What’s the point of starting a team?” Rocky asked, downing another glass of ginger ale.

“To fight off evildoers, of course! Haven’t you watched any cartoons?” Mortimer mildly chastised him. “That Nevermore girl, for example. She looked like she was up to no good.”

A tall man sitting at a nearby table overheard their conversation, which interested him enough to make him take a break from the book that he was reading, titled ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’.

Another portlier, hairier fellow approached the group; A man-sized, brown-furred rodent wearing digging drills as shoulder pads. “Hey, fellas! Care to buy a drink for poor old me?”

“Wow, a Neo-Spacian Grand Mole! Nice to meet you.” Alex extended their hand.

“I ain’t shaking yer dirty hand, kid! Just gimme some booze!” Grand Mole rudely demanded.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any money left.” Volantis said as politely as he could. “You’re welcome to have Rocky’s drink, though. He’s done for the day, right Rocky?” He added, yanking the latest ginger ale glass out of the young athlete’s hand.

“So now yer saying I’m only good enough for yer nasty backwash!” The fat rodent spat.

“You know, you look more like a marmot than a mole.” Mortimer casually pointed out.

“What did youse say, punk?!” Grand Mole only got more offended.

“Moles have pink snouts. Just saying.”

“So now youse got a problem with the way I looks!”

“That’s not what we’re saying at all.” Volantis vainly tried to defuse the situation.

“Help! These Duelists are oppressing me!” Grand Mole cried out.

“No we’re not!” The four humans tried to defend themselves, but the damage was already done, since a bunch of customers were now staring at them with disapproval.

“These horrible Duelists… I can’t believe they’re bullying an innocent Duel Spirit like that.”  
“It’s like the Unity Act never happened. Some people are just stuck in the past, I suppose.”  
“Duel Spirit haters have gotten cocky lately. It’s all because Souza is out of town.”

“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” The bartender told the group. “We don’t tolerate Duel Spirit-hating bigots in these parts.”

Seeing how the entire world had turned against them in the span of a minute, Volantis had no choice but to acquiesce. “Let’s go, everyone. Clearly we’re not welcome here.”

The man from the nearby table had left during the whole kerfuffle. As they passed by his table, there was only a half-finished bowl of ice cream left there with a spoon that had been mysteriously bent…

“I am so sorry for letting those people in.” The bartender apologized to Grand Mole afterwards. “To make up for it, feel free to have the rest of their drinks.”

“Don’t mind if I does.” The earthen Duel Spirit snickered smugly, taking a seat.

After being kicked out of the bar, the newly named ‘Team Light’ counted their losses, both financially and in terms of their wounded pride.

“They didn’t even let us finish our drinks.” Alex whined.

“You just had to open your big mouth, didn’t you?” Rocky glared at Mortimer.

“Sure, blame the guy who came up with our team’s name!” The Toon user retorted.

“It wasn’t Mortimer’s fault. It was just a misunderstanding.” Volantis told them.

Their little quarrel was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a tall man in a dark trench coat. He had long, wavy hair and a five o’clock shadow. “Hello. I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation back at the bar. I would like to join Team Light.” He said.

“Why do you want to join us?” A very confused Volantis inquired.

“Teams work better with five members than with four.” The tall man simply replied.

“That’s a solid argument.” Mortimer nodded in agreement.

The Constellar Duelist turned to Alex and Rocky, who also nodded their heads. “Alright then, welcome to the team!” He ultimately said with a smile. “What’s your name?”

The man smiled back, showing off his pearly white teeth, while his bright green eyes glinted with what was supposed to be delight, but almost seemed like manic glee.

“Jax… Jax Axonus.”


	4. Inferno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry meets Sucillia, then Duels an old rival of his.

Henry Crawford was sitting in the back of a limo, staring outside the car window boredly. An ongoing Duel suddenly caught his eye; A horrifying dragon clad in black, insectoid armor was staring down a bunch of lowly, pitiful monsters made of various junk parts. The dragon’s owner was a white-haired girl who looked downright ruthless.

“Stop the car.” Henry instructed his driver. “Let’s see where this goes…”

While that girl was certainly easy on the eyes, what intrigued him the most was the look of utter despair drawn on her opponent’s face. “W-what do you mean I can’t Synchro Summon?! I have all the materials!”

“Evilswarm Ophion forbids Level 5 or higher monsters from being summoned.” The girl with the white hair explained.

“It’s all hopeless then…” The Synchron Duelist fell on his knees, before his whole board got eviscerated by an unstoppable army of Evilswarm monstrosities.

Bearing witness to it all, Henry grinned sadistically. “That was… magnificent.”

The girl was later offered a ride in Henry’s limo, sitting in the back with the Crawford heir himself. “Tell me, Sucillia Nevermore. How long have you been in New Arcadia?”

“Why do you care?” The Evilswarm user crossed her arms in front of her chest.

The raven-haired youth shrugged. “I’m just an admirer of your work. Is that so wrong?”

“If you’re hoping to win our affection with your compliments, you’re wasting your time.” Sucillia stated, gritting her teeth hard. “Love, friendship, happiness… Such concepts are foreign to us. We only know pain, anger, hatred… and revenge.”

“Perhaps we’re more alike than you think.” Henry’s mouth turned into a straight line. “I never smiled as a kid. Not even once. I never understood why people giggled at the most puerile things. Like you, I didn’t know what happiness was, until I found out by accident… ‘Schadenfreude’. I can only experience joy through the suffering and humiliation of others, such as that Synchron Duelist who was reduced to a pathetic, sniveling wreck!” He chuckled without shame, though his smile soon dropped. “So, no. I’m not trying to win your affection. I’m a supermodel, I can get as many girlfriends as I want. What I’m looking for is someone with similar interests. Someone I can open up to without being treated like a freak…”

The limo pulled up by a small, downtown hotel, at which point the driver opened the door for them to exit the vehicle. “I believe this is your stop. It was a nice talk, even though I did most of the talking.” Henry said. “I hope that you’ll at least consider my proposition.”

“We shall.” Sucillia nodded.

“Hold it right there, Crawford!” A young man with platinum blonde hair marched up to them.

Henry raised his eyebrow in confusion. “You look familiar. Am I supposed to remember you?”

“You’d better remember me after you dumped my sister!” The other man spat.

“Oh, right. You’re Albert Lichtkaiser from Duel Academy.” Henry sighed disinterestedly. “No, I did not dump your sister. To dump is to throw away something that can still be used. I was done using her, so I moved on to better things.” He admitted callously.

“That tears it! You and I are gonna Duel!” Albert furiously snarled.

Henry’s lips curved into a subtle smile, as he turned to Sucillia. “I’d be honored if you could watch this, Ms. Nevermore. It should only take a minute.”

“Constellar Omega, attack Ghostrick Alucard and end this Duel!” Volantis commanded his four-hooved knight to shoot a rain of light arrows against a small, Halloween-esque vampire on the opposite side of the field, adding another entry in that day’s long winning streak.

His opponent, an elegant gothic lolita, pinched the sides of her frilly skirt and curtsied. “Good game, Mr. Butterfly. We don’t see Dueling like that in my country.” She spoke with a thick Romanian accent.

His friends rushed to his side to congratulate him. “Way to go, Volantis! You’re on fire today!” Mortimer rejoiced, wrapping an arm around the Constellar Duelist’s shoulder.

“I believe you’ve gathered 10 points now, and we’re not even halfway through the week.” Alex added. “This has to be a new Unity Cup record!”

“Consider the record broken.” Jax said, leisurely approaching them. “I have 12 points.”

Alex’s eyes widened in shock. “Twelve?! But, we’ve never even seen you Duel!”

Jax flashed a toothy smirk at that. “Fitting… My deck revolves around achieving victory without being seen. My monsters don’t make themselves known until it’s too late.”

“I’ve yet to win a single Duel…” Rocky pouted.

“Your time will come too, Rocco.” Mortimer cheered him up. “Team Light always wins the fight!”

“Looks like another Duel is underway.” Alex pointed to a sizable commotion nearby.

“Let’s check it out. It could give us some insight on our competition.” Volantis said.

Joining the large crowd of onlookers, the members of Team Light were able to hear people’s murmurs more clearly.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Henry T. Crawford! He’s, like, super famous!”  
“I didn’t know he was participating in the Unity Cup too.”  
“Yeah, I heard he dropped out of Duel Academy to pursue a modeling career.”  
“That turned out pretty darn well, if you ask me!”

“Sounds like one of the guys Dueling is a big deal around these parts.” Rocky mused.

“He’s not the only person of note.” Volantis spotted a familiar face among the crowd. “Look.”

Mortimer glanced at the direction he was pointing at. “It’s Sucy! Wanna say hi to her, Rocky?”

Sucillia glared at the group with a look that said that she wanted nothing more than to obliterate them at the first opportunity.

“I’d rather not…” The Battlin’ Boxer user nervously replied.

Jax, meanwhile, gazed at her extensively. “So, she’s this Sucillia you were talking about…”

“Are you done with your turn? I’m getting bored.” Henry asked, while checking his fingernails.

“I’d be taking this Duel more seriously, if I were you.” Albert replied. His side of the field had an angelic, golden-armored knight riding a white, feathered dragon. “Unlike you, I graduated from Duel Academy with honors. Me and my Lightsworn deck were undefeated. I don’t see how your skills can measure up to mine.”

“Sure, whatever.” The Crawford heir yawned, drawing his next card. “Mother Dearest insisted that I use this deck. Let’s see what it can actually do…” He mused, while looking through his own cards. “That’ll work… I activate Void Imagination. By sending this card to the graveyard, I can normally perform a Fusion Summon using monsters from my hand. Here’s the fun part… If my opponent controls an Extra Deck monster - which you foolishly do - I can also use up to 6 monsters from my deck as materials. I send the 4 Infernoid monsters in my hand and 6 Infernoid monsters from my deck to the graveyard! FUSION SUMMON!”

The entire field was bathed in azure flames, mechanical abominations of all shapes and sizes emerging from the cerulean inferno and being painfully taken apart. A new hellish creature was constructed from their parts; A mechanical snake demon with six eyes, devilish horns, monochromatic wings and a myriad cables connecting its head to the lower part of its serpentine body. This monster was not only too terrifying for words, but also gigantic, dwarfing the nearby skyscrapers even in its holographic form. “Arise! Secondary Goddess protocol! Forbidden scourge sealed behind Ten Vices! INFERNOID TIERRA!”

The crowd looked up at the towering snake deity, most of their reactions ranging from horror to disgust that something so unfathomably wicked could exist.

“W-what is that thing? It feels so… wrong.” Alex trembled.

“I don’t like this! I don’t like this at all!” Mortimer cried, covering his eyes. “I do wonder how it would look like if it turned into a Toon, though.” He added, rubbing his chin ponderously.

“Darn it, Morty! This isn’t the time to be thinking of your Toons!” Rocky yelled at him.

In contrast, Jax remained calm, simply acknowledging everything that was being said.

“A source of destruction that must never be awoken…” Volantis muttered, a mysterious, feminine voice being overlaid with his own. “God is angry on your doing…”

“... and want to bring fire flood.” Sucillia completed his sentence, her own voice sounding heavily distorted, while her eyes flashed in several different colors.

Infernoid Tierra’s multitude of effects were activated in sequence, taking cards away from Albert’s deck and Extra Deck, and even emptying his entire hand. The Lightsworn Duelist was left out of options and mortified. “I can’t do anything… That’s it, I surrender!”

“Are you trying to avoid usss?” Henry hissed in a voice that wasn’t his own, his eyes glowing an otherworldly, azure hue. “Finally, we have found a perfect body worthy of a goddessss!” He suddenly groaned in pain and clutched his own head. “Get out! Get out! GET OUT!” He let out a long, agonizing scream, before collapsing on the pavement.

As the giant hologram of Tierra vanished, the group rushed to the passed out youth. “What happened to him?” Alex asked worriedly.

“We should take him to a hospital!” Volantis’ voice returned to normal.

“Step aside! I’ll take it from here!” Henry’s limo driver pushed them away, picking up his unconscious body in a hurry.

“Are you sure you don’t need our help?” Volantis offered.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” The other man insisted, carrying Henry back to the car.

Jax tried to peer behind the man’s conspicuous black shades, seeing a pair of green orbs staring back at him. He furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

“So, there were others…” He sneered.


	5. Esper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry finds an unlikely mentor, while Team Light learn more about each other.

Henry groggily opened his eyes to a vast, starry sky, feeling a humid bed of grass underneath him. He vaguely recognized this sensation; He could no longer hear the hustle and bustle of the big city. He was at the countryside.

“Good, you’re finally up.” A somewhat familiar face greeted him, sitting by a small campfire.

“Hans Stovoje…” Henry surprised even himself with how easily he managed to recognize the man. “So, in addition to being a janitor, you were also posing as my chauffeur?”

“Posing? I’ll have you know I was doing honest work!” Hans feigned offense to that.

Glancing at the steep slopes and mountains surrounding them, Henry surmised that Hans had taken him someplace far from New Arcadia. “You really must be out of your mind if you thought it was a good idea to kidnap Henry T. Crawford.” He sneered slightly.

“And you must be out of your mind if you thought it was a good idea to awaken Infernoid Tierra.” Hans quipped back.

“Spare me your lectures.” The Crawford heir frowned. “I only did what I had to do in order to win that Duel.”

“No, there were other ways you could have won that Duel. You wanted to show off, so you meddled with a power you were not ready to handle.” The former janitor sternly replied. “If Tierra had managed to claim your body as her own, it would have been all over for you… and for the world at large.”

“Are you saying that I almost triggered the Apocalypse by being careless?”

“Hey, we all screw up sometimes.” Hans placed a comforting hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I had a hunch that someone in New Arcadia needed my help. Actually, it was more of a foresight. I’m very glad that fate led me to your doorstep.”

“Fate? Hah!” Henry laughed at the notion. “I don’t need the help of some self-appointed guardian angel.”

“Good grief, at least listen to my offer first!” Hans clicked his tongue. “What if I told you there is a way to tame Tierra’s power and not be consumed by it?”

The Infernoid Duelist looked the other man in the eye for the first time, dropping his sassy attitude. “I’m listening.”

Back in the city, Volantis was sitting leisurely inside his hotel room, optimizing his Constellar deck by adjusting the ratios of each card.

Soon, Mortimer came out of the bathroom, already dressed in a clean set of clothes including a shiny new bowtie. “Getting a shower after all this time sure felt nice! Alex even helped me wash my back. Thanks, Alex!”

“I’m gonna have nightmares for a week…” The young redhead shuddered.

Volantis raised a bewildered eyebrow. “Wait, Alex was in the bathroom with you?”

“Duh! How else would he wash my back?” Mortimer replied nonchalantly. “Besides, what’s wrong with two men who are friends sharing a bathroom together?”

“He told me he was a girl.” The Constellar Duelist muttered.

“Well, he’s not. Trust me, I checked.” Mortimer casually stated.

“Could we please not talk so openly about my gender?” Alex pleaded, looking down at their feet. “I am what I feel like. It’s… complicated.”

“Sure, I guess we won’t mention it again.” The freshly showered Toon user gave another shrug. “Anywho, where’s Rocky?”

“He went out for a jog in order to improve his Dueling stamina.” Volantis explained. “As for Jax, he’s on the balcony looking at the view.”

“The view is pretty great from up here.” Alex concurred. “Thanks for letting us stay, Volantis.”

“And thanks for buying me new clothes, really.” Mortimer soberly said.

Volantis smiled warmly. “Don’t mention it. You must be going through some hard times based on what you wore before.”

“Yeah, no offense, but you kinda looked like a homeless person.” Alex added.

“That’s ‘cause I was…” Mortimer sank to the floor with his knees close to his chest.

The Gishki descendant gasped. “Morty, I’m so sorry, I had no idea…”

“What happened to you?” Volantis asked in a concerned tone.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s private.” Mortimer hung his head down.

“I saw plenty of yours that was ‘private’ tonight. I think I can handle it.” Alex chuckled nervously, before placing their hand on the man’s shoulder. “Tell us your story. We’re a team, right? Team members shouldn’t keep secrets from each other.”

Jax cast a sideways glance at them from the balcony, smirking widely.

Mortimer pursed his lips, his body shaking ever so slightly. Ultimately, he sighed. “Grab a seat, people. This might be a long story…”

Henry sat cross-legged in front of the campfire, with Hans sitting on the other side in an identical position. “Call me a pessimist, but I don’t think I can get a nigh-omnipotent demonic deity out of my head simply by meditating.”

“Tierra must be residing in your subconscious, festering like a virus.” Hans began to explain. “She’s feeding off your deep-seated self-doubt in order for her ego to outgrow yours. If we remove the source of your self-doubt, she will have no sustenance.”

“I don’t have self-doubt!” Henry insisted, gritting his teeth.

Hans sighed. “Nonetheless, I’ll need your permission to enter your mind.”

Henry tilted his head. “Enter my mind?! What are you, a psychic?”

“The correct term is esper, but psychic is more widespread.” The former janitor chuckled softly. “If it brings you any comfort, I promise not to do anything immoral while I’m in there.”

“Very comforting words from the man who kidnapped me.” The Crawford heir sardonically said. “Against my better judgement, I’ll let you proceed.”

“Very well.” Hans’ eyes glowed a faint neon green hue. “Just clear your mind…”

Henry did so, closing his eyes and focusing on nothing but the soothing sound of running water from the nearby river, until his conscience drifted to a dreamlike state. And there he saw his own memories playing out as if he was reliving them…

 _“I don’t like this outfit, Mom. It itches.”_ A very young boy whined, clearly feeling discomfort in his little sailor uniform.

 _“You’re wearing it and that’s final. I hired the best photographer in the country to take our picture. I won’t let you ruin this for me… I mean, for us.”_ A woman in an elegant red gown said, while obsessively fixing the boy’s hair. _“Now, stop pouting in front of the camera, dear. You don’t want to disappoint your mother, do you?”_

A different memory then flashed before his eyes, featuring an adolescent Henry once again arguing with his mother. _“Why do I have to drop out of Duel Academy?! I’m the best student in my class! This is unfair!”_

 _“I’ve told you not to raise your voice, dear.”_ The Crawford matriarch calmly responded. _“You must take your modeling career more seriously. Pro Dueling has been a dying sport ever since the Unity Act was signed. I’m only looking out for your future.”_

The adolescent Henry’s fists shook. _“By telling me how to live my life…?”_

 _“Don’t be overdramatic, dear. Listen to your mother… Mother knows best!”_ The woman’s eyes turned into orbs of azure fire, her body twisting unnaturally and transforming into the gigantic form of Infernoid Tierra, with dark, ominous storm clouds surrounding her.

“M-Mother… Tierra…” The real Henry muttered under his breath.

 _“She can’t dictate your life anymore… You’re no longer a kid. Become your own man.”_ Hans’ encouraging voice rang inside his head.

All the differently aged versions of Henry became one person, clenching his fists hard and glaring at the hellish monstrosity with utter defiance. “I WON’T BE CONTROLLED ANYMORE!”

Cracks started to appear all over the deity’s serpentine body, light seeping out of them.

“NOT BY ANYONE!”

The number of cracks increased drastically, causing the creature to convulse in pain.

“LEAST OF ALL YOU!”

Infernoid Tierra, realizing that the human’s will had overpowered her, smiled as much as a fully mechanical snake could smile. A smile not of malice, but strangely of pride.

A mother’s pride for her child that had finally grown up.

“So, your father disowned you just because he was ashamed of you?” Volantis reiterated, staring at Mortimer with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

“Yeah, pretty much.” The mustachioed Toon user nervously scratched his head. “Something about me not being a kid anymore and needing to become a man. He thought I should learn to be more responsible, take over the corporate empire, yada yada…”

“Your father was a very successful man, so he had exceedingly high expectations of you, which you failed to meet in his eyes.” Jax joined their conversation, leaning against the half-open balcony door.

“Exactly!” Mortimer clapped his white-gloved hands once. “You always know what’s on my mind, Jaxie. You’re like those psychic superheroes in comic books!”

“The correct term is esper.” Jax pointed out, a neon green glow momentarily showing in his eyes without anyone noticing.

“High expectations or not, what he did to you was horrible!” Alex vehemently said.

“Yeah, I lived on the streets ever since…” The former hobo hung his head even lower. “I didn’t tell you guys earlier, because… You’re the first real friends I’ve had in awhile. I was worried that you wouldn’t want me around anymore if you found out what a failure I am…”

“Morty, don’t ever say that again.” Volantis scooted next to him, rubbing his back. “You’re a member of Team Light. We’ll always want you around regardless of your past.”

“Besides, it’s not your fault that your dad was a heartless jerk.” Alex added. “You’re our friend, and you’re such a fun guy… even if you have a very hairy back.” They added with a giggle.

Mortimer’s eyes comically teared up. “Uwah! I love you, guys! Team Light forever!” He wailed, pulling them both into a heartwarming hug.

“Is it group hug time? I wanna join too!” Rocky, who had just entered the room, eagerly jumped on top of them. All four of them wound up on the floor in a messy heap, laughing loudly and heartily.

Jax rolled his eyes and wordlessly returned to the balcony, the sliding door closing behind him as he walked out. He had not lifted a finger.

Henry crouched by the river, scooping cold water with his hands and pouring it on his face.

“You’re allowed to crack a smile, you know.” Hans told him, while putting out the fire. “You just tamed an evil goddess with your willpower alone. That’s no small feat.”

“I don’t smile unless someone is in pain.” Henry stated in a deadpan tone, as he slowly started to walk away. “Since you did help me, I guess I won’t press charges on you after all.”

Hans placed his hands around his waist. “You’re not actually thinking of walking back to New Arcadia on foot, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” The Crawford heir scoffed. “I’m just gonna walk until I find a place with decent reception, then I’ll call for my private helicopter to come pick me up.”

“And one more thing…” He added, cocking his head back. “You’re fired.”


	6. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second round of the tournament is about to begin. The finalists gather at the stadium.

The day had finally arrived. Round Two of the Unity Cup would begin, after a whole week of every Duelist in the city giving it their very best, having faith in their decks and fighting alongside their Duel Spirits. Team Light was going to be represented by two of its members, Volantis and Jax, who were on their way to Unity Stadium with their friends.

“I still can’t believe I didn’t make it to Round Two with you guys.” Mortimer bemoaned.

“You only got 2 victories in the entire first round of the tournament.” Volantis pointed out. “... and both of them were against Rocky.”

“The other opponents were wicked tough! It’s not my fault everyone and their uncle plays Mystical Space Typhoon!” The Toon user retorted.

“What’s a Mystical Space Typhoon?” Rocky cluelessly asked.

“It’s a card used by Duelists who know what they’re doing.” Jax smirked.

Upon reaching the stadium - which was massive enough to fit thousands, if not millions of spectators - the group were led to a special VIP room that was equipped with all the amenities a person could dream about, including a long catering table filled with all sorts of exotic foods. More importantly, they were greeted by three figures.

“Congratulations on making it to Round Two, Volantis Z. Butterfly and Jax Axonus.” The tall, white-haired man said. “We have heard good things about you two. My name is--”

“Kase Heiji! I mean, King Kase Heiji!” Alex rushed forward, eagerly shaking the man’s hand. “My name’s Alex J. Bright. It’s an honor to meet you, sir! I mean, Your Highness!”

“It looks like you have a fan!” The man clad in wizardly robes chuckled.

Alex’s eyes widened. “Hierophant William Tarott. My family has studied Ritual magic for generations. It would be like a dream come true to become your apprentice one day!”

“Is that so?” The great magician raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Maybe after this whole tournament is over, I could take you in as a student. See what you’re capable of.”

“What, no love for poor me?” Said the fancy-suited man who wore shades indoors.

Alex smiled widely. “I was gonna get to you, Mr. Xavier St. Croix. I’m a huge fan of your movies! The Launderer franchise is my favorite, especially the sequels, The Launderer 2, 3, 4 and 5. Your catchphrase has practically been engraved into my brain.”

“Justice never skips laundry day!” They both quoted in unison, making finger guns at each other.

“So, did all of the Arcadian Survivors make it to Round Two?” Volantis asked.

Kase nodded affirmatively. “The three of us, plus Souza. Alice was not a registered Duelist in this year’s Unity Cup.” He explained.

Volantis tilted his head slightly to the side. “Wait, I thought Matteo de Souza was out of town.”

“He was. He came back last night.” William confirmed. “He started Dueling any opponent he could find, and before you knew it, he had gathered 20 points.”

Rocky gasped. “He got all the way to 20 in a single night?! That’s insane!”

“That’s the power of Matteo de Souza.” Jax flashed a twisted grin.

“I could’ve gotten 20 points too, if my opponents played fairly. Curse you, Mystical Space Typhoon!” Mortimer angrily shook his fist at the ceiling.

A bead of sweat appeared on Volantis’ head. “Right… Looks like we’re going to face some very tough competition.”

Xavier smiled at him. “Don’t worry, kid. We play the same card game you’re playing. We’re just older than you and more experienced.”

Kase nodded in agreement. “Xavier is right. The moment a Duel starts, both Duelists are equal.” He turned his attention to Alex. “On that note, you don’t have to address me as ‘Your Highness’. I may be a king where I’m from, but here I’m just a man.”

“How humble of you. However, we both know that’s a lie.” A sardonic voice sounded. In walked a well-dressed youth with raven hair.

“Ah, that would be the other finalist, Henry T. Crawford.” Kase greeted the young Crawford heir, before furrowing his brow. “Care to explain what you meant by that?”

“What I meant was that you and your friends control every aspect of this city.” Henry replied, looking the taller man in the eye. “So, you can act humble all you want, Heiji, but between the Unity Act and the very existence of an Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom, it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that you five have made the whole world dance to your tune for a good decade.”

Heiji fell silent, a deep frown permeating his countenance following Henry’s accusations.

“That’s one way to make a memorable entrance!” Xavier wolf-whistled.

“Hey, Volantis…” Mortimer cupped his hand next to his mouth. “That’s the guy who summoned that evil snake thing the other day. He’s very good-looking.”

“I know, and… I guess?” The Constellar Duelist whispered back.

“You got it all wrong.” Alex jumped in the middle, trying to defuse the situation. “Sure, the Survivors are influential figures in their own right, but they don’t rule the entire world.”

Henry stared curiously at the Gishki user. “Who are you again?”

“He or she is Alex of Team Light!” Morty answered on their behalf, before pointing at himself with his thumb. “And I’m Mortimer Williams the Third, second-in-command of Team Light!”

“And I’m Rocky. I like boxing.” The Battlin’ Boxer user raised his hand. He then shot a glare at the former hobo. “Wait a minute! Since when are YOU second-in-command?”

Henry merely rolled his eyes at them. “I’m fed up with you lot. I’ll be sulking in the corner if anyone needs me… Do me a favor and don’t need me.” He said, retreating to the sitting area.

“Speaking of being fed, I’m gonna check out the buffet here. I’ll be back in a jiffy!” Mortimer said, running up to the catering table.

“Kase, are we waiting for anybody else?” Hierophant William asked.

“Yes, there is one last finalist.” Kase replied.

“Let me in! LET ME IN!”

“... and that would be her.”

A familiar white-haired girl stormed into the room, looking very cross.

“Hi, Sucy… How are you?” Rocky nervously waved at her, a faint blush adorning his cheeks.

His words didn’t even register to Sucillia, who angrily shoved past him. “Where is she? Where is Alice? TELL ME!”

“I don’t particularly care for your tone.” Heiji’s white eyes narrowed. “What business do you have with Ms. Alice anyway?”

“Who wishes to see me?” A cloaked woman mysteriously appeared in the room.

Upon seeing her, Sucillia flashed an unhinged, fanged grin. “The great Alice finally reveals herself…” A giggle escaped her lips, which devolved into a demented cackle so disturbing, it made everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. “Are you surprised to see me again? Are you baffled that I survived after you tossed me aside… Mother?”

Deathly silence fell in the room. Everybody’s eyes were turned to those two women, watching their confrontation with bated breath. Most tense out of everyone was Jax, who’s unblinking eyes were glued on both of them.

The woman called Alice took her hood off, revealing her face to be nearly identical to Sucillia’s own, a head of black and white hair contrasting Sucillia’s purely white. Strangely, she seemed to be about the same age as her alleged daughter. “Did you just call me… Mother? I’m sorry, but… I really have no idea who you are.”

Sucillia lost what little color her pale complexion had. “What do you mean? I’m Sucillia, your daughter. How can you not remember me…?” Her head jerked unnaturally towards Kase and the other Survivors. “What have you done to her? Alice Nevermore would never forget her own child. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MOTHER?!” She roared, enraged.

“Sucillia, calm down. I can explain, just not here…” Kase tried to placate her.

“NO!” The Evilswarm user kept screaming in uncontrollable rage, throwing trays of food all over in her violent tantrum. Finally, she flipped over the entire table with unbelievable strength, sending it flying along with the plate of spaghetti and meatballs that Mortimer had been eating. “BRING BACK MY MOTHER!”

Every color suddenly turned into its inverse value, and everything just stopped. The people stood there completely still, as if they were statues, stuck with whatever expressions they had been making prior to time itself being frozen. That table never touched the floor. Plates with foods were left suspended in mid-air. And yet, while everything else stagnated, a powerful heartbeat was heard. A strong, beefy hand grabbed Sucillia’s shoulder…

A millisecond later, she was no longer in the VIP lounge, but instead in what looked like an empty locker room, still part of the same building. A larger than life man stood before her, clad in a slick black suit that did nothing to hide his robust, Herculean physique. The behemoth gazed directly at the girl, his eyes barely visible under his chiseled eyebrows. “Do you know who I am?” He spoke, his voice rumbling like a brewing storm.

Sucillia’s mouth went agape with awe. “Souza… Matteo de Souza, leader of The World.”

“The World we believed in died a long time ago. Now we are just Survivors.” The large man growled. “You lost control back there. It had better not happen again.”

“You know what I’m going to ask.” The girl’s eyes narrowed. “What happened to my mother?”

“Alice did something unforgivable, and she paid the price.” Souza gritted his white teeth.

“By having her memories erased?”

“Suppressed, not erased.” The man corrected her.

“By who?”

Souza’s scowl turned into a toothy smile. “By the world’s most powerful psychic.”

Jax Axonus waited patiently in the hallway, approaching Souza as soon as he walked out of the locker room. “Do you believe me now?” He asked him.

“I needed to see her with my own eyes.” Souza replied, stroking his bearded chin pensively. “Alice’s daughter being alive is a most interesting development.”

“So, can we put the master plan in motion?” The younger man further inquired.

“Not yet… When the time is right.” Souza firmly said.

Jax winced, but still nodded respectfully. “As you wish, Father.”


	7. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volantis and Sucillia have their long-awaited rematch.

“Aaand Matteo de Souza is the winner, finishing off his opponent Jax Axonus with a direct attack from his ace monster, Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio! What a sensational Duel!” The announcer’s voice declared, followed by the entire stadium erupting in cheers.

Despite having lost, Jax maintained a calm demeanor, walking up to the victor and shaking his hand as was customary. “I have a long way to go before I can surpass you, it seems.”

“Your skills are improving daily, son.” Souza replied, smiling warmly. “Let me see your hand… PSY-Framegear Gamma. Had you played this card earlier in our Duel, you could have stopped my entire combo. Why did you hesitate?”

“I was holding off from playing it until the right moment.” Jax admitted.

“You held off for too long.” Souza said, placing a comforting hand on the Psychic Duelist’s shoulder. “Always wait for the right moment, but never wait too long.” He advised him.

Jax grinned widely. “Thank you, Father. I’ll make sure to remember that.”

Soon, the stage was cleared for the next two contestants, whom the announcer introduced to a still hyped up crowd. “Let’s give it up for two up-and-coming young Duelists making their Unity Cup debut! Volantis Z. Butterfly will face off against… Sucillia Nevermore!”

“Don’t think for a second that this Duel will be like our last.” The Evilswarm Duelist stated, as her black, insect-themed Duel Disk activated itself with a high-pitched shrieking sound.

“I’m not afraid of you or that vile deck of yours.” Volantis said resolutely. “As long as I have my Duel Spirits by my side and the support of my friends, I know we can win just like last time.”

“Woohoo! Go, Volantis! Show that evil witch what for!” Mortimer loudly cheered from the sidelines with Alex and Rocky, raising a badly drawn banner in the air. “Team Light rules!”

“He spent all night making that banner, you know.” Alex whispered to Rocky.

Sucillia scowled at their display. “The only ‘friends’ we need are the Evilswarm…”

And so, their Duel began. While Volantis went for his usual strategy of gathering all the necessary combo pieces for an Xyz Summon on his next turn, Sucillia’s playing style was more on the aggressive side; Instead of trying to control the flow of the Duel with her Evilswarm Ophion, she summoned a monster that was far more terror-inducing…

“XYZ SUMMON! Emerge, dragon of pestilence, Rank 4, Evilswarm Bahamut!” She cried out, the color of her eyes shifting to blood-red. A large dragonoid with icy wings emerged on her field, its long, serpentine body covered in pitch-black scales that rejected all light. Four horns on its head shaped like stag beetle pincers added to its insectoid appearance.

“By detaching an Xyz material from Evilswarm Bahamut and discarding another Evilswarm monster, we can take control of one of your monsters.” Sucillia declared in a distorted voice. Her Duel Disk wildly shook as if it were alive, sprouting extra, solid parts that covered her entire arm in black, exoskeletal armor. “We choose your Constellar Sheratan!” She pointed her clawed, gauntleted finger at Volantis’ ram-headed warrior, who floated over to her side of the field, its eyes glowing red to mimic her own.

Even after being attacked by his very own monster, the Constellar Duelist remained faithful in his deck, and his deck rewarded him by giving him the exact card he needed as his next draw. “Yes! I summon Constellar Sombre!”

“Impossible!” Sucillia’s red eyes widened.

Before long, Volantis had gathered enough materials for his ace monster, Constellar Pleiades, to appear in all his radiant glory, his effect causing Evilswarm Bahamut to vanish from the field. That wasn’t all, though. Pleiades himself then became an Xyz material for an even more powerful monster…

“XYZ CHANGE! Appear and come forth, Rank 6, Constellar Ptolemy M7!” Volantis exclaimed, his voice sounding slightly more feminine, while his own eyes glowed with a golden hue. A majestic, mechanical beast much like a dragon replaced Pleiades, with starry wings spanning on either side of its armored head.

“NOOOOO!!” Sucillia let out a painful wail as the next attack reduced her Life Points to zero, but an even bigger scream of agony came afterwards, when her entire body thrashed erratically - like a puppet whose limbs had been ordered to bend in unnatural ways - thanks to an unforeseen power. “I’m sorry… Bahamut… please… let me go…” Finally, her body went wobbly and collapsed on the spot, much to the bewilderment of Volantis and the thousands of spectators that became eyewitnesses.

“Uhm… I was just informed that we’ll go into a half hour break.” A nervous announcer’s voice sounded, while paramedics rushed to the scene to pick up the unconscious girl. “We’ll keep you all updated on Ms. Nevermore’s condition. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience.”

Volantis and his friends later stormed the infirmary, displaying genuinely worried expressions on their faces. To their surprise, Kase Heiji and William Tarott were already there, checking on a bedridden Sucillia. “Mr. Heiji… How is she?” The Constellar Duelist asked.

“Rocky’s on his way to get Sucy some flowers, by the way. It was my idea! I just wanted to put it out there.” Mortimer said without any context.

“She’s alive, but there’s no telling when she will wake up…” Kase replied to the group.

“I have tried everything, but this isn’t a matter any amount of healing magic can fix.” William added, turning to them as well. “In the first place, her body is perfectly healthy.”

“You know, Volantis, when I told you to show her what for, I didn’t mean actually knocking her out!” Morty berated the blue-haired youth.

“Didn’t you start clapping when Sucy collapsed?” Alex pointed out.

“I thought it was part of the show!” The Toon user defensively retorted.

“It wasn’t Volantis’ fault.” Kase interrupted their little banter. “She was tortured via possession until she collapsed from sheer shock. No doubt it was her Duel Spirit’s twisted idea of punishing her for losing the Duel. Whatever did this to her was evil beyond comprehension.”

“The Evilswarm.” Volantis gritted his teeth in disdain, but his expression quickly softened. “Sucillia and I aren’t so different after all…”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Morty tilted his head in mild confusion. “You’re nothing alike. You’re good and she’s evil!”

“She’s not the only one whose Duel Spirit can possess her.” Volantis sighed. “You see, I was frail and sickly since birth. The doctors told my parents that I wouldn’t make it to my first birthday… That was when Constellar Virgo gave up her body in order to save my life. She’s been part of me ever since. I owe her everything…” He almost teared up.

“You have a lady spirit living inside you, huh? No wonder you look so girly. OW!” Mortimer jested, only for Alex to step on his foot.

“Come to think of it, Volantis does sound different when he Duels sometimes.” The young redhead pondered aloud.

“What Virgo did was very noble of her.” Kase smiled warmly, before his expression turned deadly serious. “However, Sucillia is different from any case of Duel Spirit possession that has ever been recorded. I sensed an abnormal amount of Duel Spirit souls mixed with her own, not just one. Imagine that many spirits vying for control over the girl’s body. No human being could survive that, yet not only she did, but she also hybridized with them… partly.” He explained, pointing at Sucillia’s armored arm.

“Hybridized… You mean just like you, Mr. Heiji?” Alex curiously asked.

Kase nodded. “Correct, I did fuse with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon many, many years ago. I became what is known as a half-human, half-Duel Spirit hybrid, but that was quite different from Sucillia’s case, as you would imagine. If anything, my case was more similar to how Volantis and Virgo became one.”

“Alright, is there anyone else in this room with a spirit living inside them that I should be aware of?” Mortimer frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What about you, Alex?”

Alex shook their head. “Nope. I’m just a normal, non-binary human.”

One Team Light member hadn’t contributed to the discussion at all, and that was Jax, who had been wordlessly staring at Sucillia that entire time instead…

Sucillia Nevermore had become a prisoner in her own mind. Trapped inside a cold, human-sized birdcage, she was curled up in a fetal position, truly alone and despondent. She was slowly losing her remaining sense of self to the swarm of evil dragons, nightmarish knights and humanoid insects that had made this place their home, tormenting her effervescently and imposing their wills on her.

_“You have failed us again! Failure will no longer be tolerated!”_   
_“You were supposed to aid us in bringing destruction to this world! That was the pact that was made!”_   
_“Make no mistake, you will aid us, even if you have to surrender your useless body to us!”_   
_“Had it not been for us, you would have died a long time ago! You owe us, therefore you must obey!”_   
_“Obey!”_   
_“Obey!”_   
_“Obey!”_

Suddenly, a new voice was heard. _“No! It is you who are mistaken!”_

The monstrous horrors all turned around to see the figure of a tall man slowly emerging from the void. _“A human?! Who are you? How dare you interfere!”_

_“That girl is more powerful than you could possibly imagine! It is you who are holding her back!”_

_“Insolent human! We could erase you with a mere thought!”_

_“Then do it! Think me away, if you can, amorphous idiot beasts!”_ The man provoked them, to no response from the confused monstrosities. _“You were powerful once… Now you are but shadows! She is your master, not the other way around!”_

The voices were silenced. Footsteps echoed into eternity, until the door to Sucillia’s cage was opened with a loud creak, a hand being outstretched towards her.

 _“Who are you…?”_ The girl inquired, weakly sitting up.

 _“A friend… Call me Jax.”_ The man replied. _“I am here to give you hope… The hope of reuniting with your mother.”_

 _“You can bring the old Alice back?”_ Sucillia’s eyes seemed to light up at the prospect.

 _“Of course.”_ Jax’s mouth twisted into a grin that looked beyond wicked. _“It will be the most touching reunion a mother and her daughter ever had!”_

_“When will it happen?”_

_“When the time is right.”_

Sucillia smiled back and took hold of his hand. _“When the time is right!”_


	8. Abuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry has a Duel with Xavier St. Croix.

Morbid silence had filled the Unity Stadium. People usually spent those intermissions between Duels sharing their predictions about the next matchup or ordering more snacks. However, the image of the previous Duelist screaming in agony and losing her conscience was still fresh in their minds.

Fortunately, watching a new and exciting Duel was all they needed to forget that unpleasant incident as if it never had happened. Specifically, an epic clash between fellow Arcadian Survivors, Kase Heiji and William Tarott. It was a long and grueling contest that kept the audience on the edge of their seats, but in the end the 4-time Unity Champion was victorious.

Henry Crawford leisurely made his way to the arena for his own Duel, crossing paths with a departing Kase. “Congratulations on your victory, Your Highness!” The raven-haired youth mockingly bowed, his words filled with sarcasm.

Kase stopped and turned around, staring at Henry’s back. “That kid…”

“He’s definitely not your biggest fan.” William approached his ally, tapping him on the shoulder. “Are you still upset over what he said to you the other day?”

“It’s not that.” Kase shook his head. “It’s just that something about him feels… familiar.”

“Here he comes, New Arcadia’s resident supermodel, Henry T. Crawford! And his opponent, Arcadian Survivor and Hollywood legend, Xavier St. Croix!” The announcer introduced the two Duelists, the crowd cheering thunderously for Xavier as he entered the arena.

“Don’t you have to actually be legendary in order to be considered a legend?” Henry pointed out with a sardonic grin.

“You know, kid, before I made it big in show biz, I used to be a Dueling mercenary.” Xavier replied, while shuffling his deck. “I ate arrogant punks like you for breakfast!”

“Is that a line from your newest film? I’m sorry, I don’t watch B movies.” The Crawford heir chuckled. “I might actually enjoy this!”

Their Duel began, and the middle-aged movie star wasted no time filling his board with high-leveled, demonic-looking monsters called the Darklords. Unfortunately, his impressive opening play failed to amaze the young supermodel. If anything, he looked bored.

“Are you finally done? Good. It’s my turn.” Henry placed a card into his Spell and Trap zone. “I activate Void Imagination!” He declared, a wall of azure flames appearing behind him.

 _“Yesss… Say the wordsss, my child. Unleash me into thisss world!”_ The otherworldly voice of Infernoid Tierra spoke faintly inside Henry’s head, tempting him.

“No. I won’t need your ‘help’ this time, Mother…” The dark-haired youth resolutely shook his head. “I’ll follow up by activating Reasoning! When I activate this card, my opponent has to call a monster Level from 1 to 12.”

“Reasoning, huh?” Xavier confidently ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Well, I can’t let you summon a powerful monster with this, so I’ll call Level 8.”

The Infernoid Duelist grinned sinisterly. “Perfect! As it turns out, the only monster I have that can be Normal Summoned is this Infernoid Decatron at the very bottom of my deck.” He picked up his deck and flipped it upwards, showing said card to his opponent. “And its Level is way lower than 8! That means Infernoid Decatron is summoned to my field, and every other card in my deck gets sent to the graveyard!”

Xavier’s eyebrows rose in shock. “What?! You’re sending your entire deck to the graveyard?! That means you’ll automatically lose on your next turn!”

“There won’t be a next turn!” Henry roared, callously tossing every card except Decatron into the air. “The thing is, my other Infernoid monsters can Special Summon themselves from the graveyard. That means I now have my entire deck at my disposal! Come forth, Infernoid Onuncu, followed by Infernoid Devyaty, Infernoid Attondel and Infernoid Seitemas!” His field exploded with his newly summoned mechanical abominations, and so did Xavier’s field, as every single of his own monsters were instantly wiped out.

“Hah! Looks like the only arrogant punk was you!” Henry howled with manic laughter. “Now there is nothing getting in the way of me destroying you in front of your adoring fans!”

“Stop this Duel at once!” A booming voice filled the stadium, making everyone gasp in awe. It was Matteo de Souza himself standing in the VIP spectator area.

Henry gritted his teeth in annoyance. “Just as I was having fun… What is the meaning of this?”

Souza’s hardened visage became a shadowy mask, the bulging veins on his forehead pulsating with power. “How dare you toss your own cards aside like they mean nothing to you! How dare you use them as a means to an end! This Duel Spirit abuse will not stand! It goes against everything we have fought for! It goes against everything people have died for!” The man furiously roared, gripping the steel railing hard enough to rend it asunder. “Henry T. Crawford is hereby banned from the Unity Cup! The winner by default is Xavier St. Croix!” He declared, before storming off.

Henry was dumbfounded. “Banned from the Unity Cup?! This has to be a joke!”

Following Souza’s announcement, the crowd started unanimously booing and heckling the Infernoid player.

“Die, Crawford! You’re nothing but a Duel Spirit abuser!”  
“He doesn’t even care about the Unity Act! What a jerk!”  
“I’ll never buy magazines with your ugly mug on them again!”

Henry hung his head down, clutching his Void Imagination card, while his other hand was clenched into a shaky fist. “I’m not the freak here…” He whispered under his breath.

Several minutes later, the Crawford heir stomped his way into the VIP lounge, fuming with anger. “Unbelievable! Who does he think he is, writing me off the tournament just so that he could help out his buddy, and then accusing ME of abuse!” He ranted on his lonesome, until he noticed a certain white-haired girl nearby. “Sucillia? How long have you been up?”

Just as he was about to approach her, a tall man cut him off. “She’s still a bit dazed. She needs time to fully recover.”

“Wait, I know you…” Henry squinted his eyes. “You’re with those clowns calling themselves Team Light, aren’t you?”

“That I am.” Jax nodded, glaring at him with his emerald eyes.

Sucillia briefly glanced at Henry, before frowning and looking the other way.

Noticing her reaction, the supermodel’s expression hardened. “Why won’t you look at me? Do you think I’m a freak too? Fine! I didn’t need to talk to you anyway!” He harrumphed, proceeding onward, until he reached Xavier, who was sitting on a couch surrounded by a bunch of attractive women. “We need to talk, Mr. Hollywood!”

“Hey there, kid.” Xavier gestured for his fangirls to leave the two of them alone, which they did. “Listen, I know you’re upset over what happened, but I swear I had nothing to do with it.”

“Yeah, right!” Henry scoffed. “I was about to win that Duel, and you know it!”

“I know, and I’d be okay with that. Heck, I like you!” The Darklord player assured him. “There’s only ever been one other Duelist who managed to beat me this badly, and he’s long dead… I can respect that. But, what Souza says goes. End of story.”

“He can’t decide who’s worthy and who’s trash based on his personal views. He is not a god! Make sure to tell him that, or else I will!” Henry threatened.

Something changed in Xavier’s disposition, who up until that point had acted pretty casually. The former mercenary removed his shades for the first time, and his weary eyes were those of a man who had witnessed unspeakable horrors in his life. “Let me give you a helpful piece of advice. Never ever mess with Matteo de Souza!”

“Alright, folks, that wraps it up for today!” The announcer’s voice informed the audience members, who slowly began vacating their seats. “Join us tomorrow for the Semi-Finals! W-wait, what’s happening?”

A bright flash suddenly appeared in the sky, splitting it into multiple segments lined with colorful light rays and erratic, extra-polar auroras. Time in this new existential layer - this fusion of the future - seemingly accelerated a millionfold, until the stars and constellations melted together into an ever rotating, chaotic swirl of dark matter.

“There has been a change in the schedule.” A reverberating voice traveled across the entire city thanks to magical augmentation. Its source appeared to be the powerful figure standing in the center of the arena, covered head to toe in impenetrable, ash-colored armor. “This world now answers to me, Pandeity!” The figure declared, removing their fearsome helmet to reveal a shriveled, corpse-like countenance that gradually regenerated into the handsome face of a man in his thirties, with long, silver hair that flowed with the roaring wind.

The Arcadian Survivors who observed what was going on gasped in horror as soon as they beheld the man’s face.

“It can’t be…” Kase muttered, his complexion going ashen, as if he had just seen a ghost.

“He was supposed to be dead!” Xavier cried out, looking equally mortified.

Souza’s expression looked calm, but even his own body had tensed up. “So, we meet again… Solomon Scardigne.”


	9. Wraith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pandeity exposes the true identity of the Arcadian Survivors.

The audience members were left dumbstruck, some staring at the mysterious figure that had crashed the party, while others looked bewilderedly up at the unnatural sky. Among the Arcadian Survivors, Souza was the first to step out into the open, overlooking their newly unmasked adversary. “What do you want, Solomon?” He asked.

“There is no Solomon! Only Pandeity!” The armor-clad man retorted, flourishing his large cape as he turned around. “And what I want, for starters, is for all these people who idolize and worship you to see you for what you truly are. That shall make my revenge that much sweeter, Matteo de Souza… or should I say Souza, leader of The World!”

A unified gasp filled the stadium. Xavier clicked his tongue, while Kase glared at Pandeity. “Solomon, you haven’t changed one bit. No… In fact, you have changed for the worse.”

Pandeity turned towards the confused spectators, spreading his arms far and wide. “That’s right! Your five ‘Survivors’ - those hypocrites who speak of ‘Unity’ - are the very same terrorist group responsible for the destruction of the original Arcadia 20 years ago!”

Following such a bombshell, the people’s murmurs grew louder and louder.

“It can’t be… Souza is no terrorist!”  
“It’s a lie! It has to be!”  
“We believe in Souza!”  
“We believe in Souza!”  
“We believe in Souza!”

“He speaks the truth.” Souza abruptly brought their chanting to an end with that single statement. “We had good intentions, but we made one terrible mistake… Thousands died, their blood on our hands… To this day redemption stays out of our reach…” Tears cascaded down his chiseled face, but he maintained his strong stature, as if he was genuinely asking for forgiveness, but at the same time didn’t wish to be pitied.

The members of Team Light were watching everything go down from inside the lounge, and were equally shocked by that turn of events.

“I can’t believe it… The Survivors, they were… they were…” Alex nearly broke into tears, being devastated by the news more than anyone else.

“Sometimes the people we look up to the most turn out to be liars…” Volantis said, patting Alex’s shoulder comfortingly.

Their grieving was interrupted by maniacal cackling courtesy of Henry. “Oh, this is simply rich! To think that someone as high and mighty as Souza was hiding such a dirty secret!” The supermodel mused, barely containing his elation. “It serves him and his friends right. When the symbol of everyone’s hope turns out to be truly rotten on the inside, what’s left there for people to have faith in?”

Souza’s fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. “If I have to answer for my sins, so be it. However, I will not allow any more innocents to be harmed!” With a superhuman leap he took to the air, his fine suit being torn to shreds and replaced by the rugged armor of the X-Sabers. Wielding his twin swords, he descended upon Pandeity with bloodlust in his eyes.

“STAGNATION!” Souza shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding time itself to freeze. Just like it had happened in the lounge the other day, the colors were inverted and everything was suspended within a singular moment in time. Yet, as the X-Saber warrior closed in, something unexpected happened; Pandeity’s head turned… and he stared right back at him!

“Fool, the concept of time does not exist in the Underworld!” The armored warlock grabbed a confused Souza by the throat before the latter could react. “I’ve had enough of you! By order of the Shadow Monarch, be banished!”

An ethereal portal to a shadowy dimension swallowed Souza’s head whole. Time resumed, and the rest of the body fell limply on the ground with a resounding thud. A bloodless, pitch-black hollow was all that was left on the neck.

William Tarott covered his mouth in utter shock. “N-no way! Souza is…”

A blood-curdling shriek blared throughout the stadium, as Alice collapsed on her knees and mournfully screamed until there was no longer any air left in her lungs.

William’s eyes widened. “Oh no! Her abundant magical energy is going haywire!”

“Calm her down! Now!” Kase barked an order.

“Do I look like I can calm her down?!” The magician screamed back at him.

Alice vanished into an impressive explosion of light that forced everyone to cover their eyes.

Meanwhile, Jax calmly tapped an equally distraught Sucillia’s shoulder. “The time is right.” He whispered into the girl’s ear.

“The time is right… The time to reunite with my mother.” Sucillia nodded, following after the Psychic Duelist. Their departure went unnoticed thanks to the ruckus that occurred.

Terrified by what they had witnessed, screaming crowds tried to barrel their way out of the stadium, nearly falling on top of each other as they did. It was a mess of helpless people running for their lives. Their troubles were sadly far from over, since all of the emergency exits turned out to have been blocked by Pandeity’s undead thralls - walking corpses with rotting flesh and ragged clothes.

“The dead thirst for vengeance just as I do!” Pandeity clenched one of his gauntleted hands into a fist. “Why should you continue to live prosperously, while their lives were cut short?”

With nowhere to run back to, the people on the front row were left susceptible to this mob of shambling, mindless, very hungry zombies.

“Mommy, help!” A little girl cried, as one of the zombies grabbed her by the wrist.

Bam! The zombie’s head was smacked by a frying pan, literally flying off from the rest of its body! It promptly fell on the floor, spewing green goo all over. “My favorite cartoon character, Wacko the Cat, was right! A frying pan really is the greatest weapon!” Mortimer exclaimed, swinging his mighty cooking vessel like a barbarian swinging his battle axe.

“Nothing beats my own fists!” Rocky swooped in as well, delivering a mean right hook to another zombie and sending it reeling back.

“Look! The zombies are weak to being hit really hard!”  
“Let’s get them, everyone!”  
“Yeah! Let’s reclaim our city!”

The people charged at the horde of the undead with newfound determination, hitting them with steel chairs, trash cans and any other blunt object they could get their hands on.

“Good job, Morty. You too, Rocky.” Volantis congratulated his two friends. “Now let’s get to the bottom of this!”

“Woohoo, let’s do this! It’s time to show that Pandeity guy the power of Team Light!” Mortimer howled excitedly.

“Where did you find that frying pan anyway?” Alex questioned.

“In the kitchen. Duh!” The Toon user casually replied.

By the time the four members of Team Light walked down to the arena, Kase, William and Xavier were already there. Judging by their beat up state, as well as the fact that the Life Point meter in all of their activated Duel Disks read zero, they had failed to stop Pandeity.

“Mr. Heiji! Everyone!” Alex worriedly ran up to them.

“Stay back!” Kase shouted.

“He is too tough for you. Way too tough…” William weakly added.

“To lose twice in the same day AND be outed as a terrorist… This really doesn’t bode well for my public image.” Xavier grunted.

“You should listen to them, children. It is futile to resist.” Pandeity stated, nonchalantly stepping over Souza’s headless, lifeless body.

“Solomon, what happened to you?” The human-Duel Spirit hybrid sluggishly stood up. “You used to be a good man… Now you have been blinded by your hatred for Souza. You activated the Forbidden Spell, Future Fusion, in the middle of the city. Do you have any idea of the ramifications? This used to be your city too!”

“MY city was reduced to ashes!” Pandeity angrily spat. “This city was created in The World’s image, therefore it deserves to be buried with the rest of you!”

“It’s no use…” Kase mused, a tinge of melancholy in his tone. “The man I once called a friend is no longer there… All that is left is his vengeful ghost, a wraith bearing a 20-year-old grudge. Even his Monarchs feel hollow… He must be stopped at all costs.”

“I’ll do it! I’ll Duel him!” Alex bravely took a step forward, facing the evil warlock.

“You’ll do what?!” Volantis, Mortimer and Rocky all exclaimed in unison.

Pandeity threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Foolish child! Not even the Unity Champion, Kase Heiji, could defeat me. What possesses you to think you have any chance?” He waved his arm, gesturing to the hulking Monarch monsters looming behind him with menacing, glowing eyes.

“Once you step into my Domain, all Extra Deck summoning mechanics are rendered useless. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz… They all fall to the true monarchy!”

The young redhead smirked. “What about Ritual summoning?”

The warlock raised a confused eyebrow. “What?”

The Gishki Duelist effortlessly summoned their ace monster, Gishki Zielgigas, into their side of the field. “The World might have done some horrible things, but they still challenged you in order to protect innocent people. I might never forgive them, but as a member of Team Light, it’s my duty to do my best to save everyone as well!”

“Impossible! Nobody was supposed to overcome my unbreakable lock!” Pandeity cried out.

“Now, Gishki Zielgigas, let’s finish this!” Alex’s aquatic monstrosity delivered a merciless downpour of punches from its multiple arms, utterly crushing the lineup of Monarchs and reducing the opponent’s Life Points to zero.

“Unbelievable…” Volantis muttered in disbelief.

“Alex, you did it! You’ve beaten the bad guy! I believe this calls for a group hug!” Mortimer wrapped his lanky arms around his friends, including Rocky, and they all rejoiced and celebrated together.

Kase approached the group and humbly bowed his head to them. “Team Light… I know this might not mean much, considering we are responsible for this mess to begin with, but thank you sincerely for your help.” He told them, before being interrupted by weak laughter…

“What’s so funny?” Kase narrowed his eyes at the defeated Monarch player.

“I commend your efforts to stop me, but you wasted too much precious time…” Pandeity cracked a smile filled with hubris, as the ground began to shake with great intensity.

“W-what’s going on this time?” Xavier tried to keep his balance, as did everyone else.

Pandeity flourished his majestic cape once again, and laughed boisterously.

“The Future Fusion… is complete!”


	10. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pandeity summons a monster capable of destroying New Arcadia.

The kaleidoscopic sky layer generated by the Future Fusion split apart - like a cosmic walnut being cracked open - allowing a monster of titanic proportions to make its eerily slow descent; A golden dragon with a very muscular torso, beefy hind legs, a ludicrously long tail, and a wingspan so wide and massive, it dominated New Arcadia’s skyline. Five serpentine heads sprouted from its upper body, each clearly representing a different element.

“The Five-Headed Dragon, a dragon so old and powerful, it is said to be truly immortal…” Kase looked up with awe and genuine terror in his eyes, but his focus soon shifted to an elated Pandeity. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done!” He spat.

The undead warlock broke into a maniacal bout of laughter. “I’m merely getting started! Five-Headed Dragon requires one last material in order to become perfect… namely myself!” He declared, allowing his own body to float upwards, towards the giant beast.

“‘Himself’? I-is he actually doing what I think he is?!” Xavier stammered.

“I have a very bad feeling about this…” Volantis muttered.

Pandeity’s lower body was converted into pure energy, while the rest of him became one with the dragon’s middle head, stuck in the space between its eyes. “Ah, I can feel unlimited power surging through me. This is how it was meant to be!”

“William, how fast can you teleport everyone out of the stadium?” Kase asked his ally.

The Hierophant manifested his magic staff. “If I had Alice’s support, I could do it in an instant. Without her, though…”

Kase closed his eyes pensively. “It’ll have to do.”

The dragon’s five heads opened their maws in unison, building up energy. “Witness the form of my wrath! This is the power that I, Pandeity, bring! BE ERASED!” Pandeity roared, as a huge wave of dust and debris shot out of the middle head’s mouth, followed by a blast of fire from the fiery head, a high-pressure stream of water from the aquatic head, a beam of pitch-black light from the darker head, and a mighty tornado from the mechanical head.

“Everyone, grab onto each other and don’t let go!” William said after he finished his last incantation.

“Volantis-!” Alex cried out.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry.” The Constellar Duelist took hold of the kid’s hand.

“Wait for me!” Rocky held his hand out.

“Rocky, take my hand!” Mortimer reached for it. Before their fingers could interlock with each other, light enveloped one of them…

The Five-Headed Dragon’s quintuple attack connected with Unity Stadium, reducing such a large and elaborate structure to rubble in but an instant.

The explosion was heard well into the city’s outskirts, where a lone woman was sitting next to an old, worn out statue of a knight with a ponytail, which had been left unattended and forgotten by the people. “Souza, Souza… Why, why, why…” She sobbed, hugging her knees.

“Painful, isn’t it?” Jax Axonus came out of an alleyway nearby. “To lose the most important person in your life, and be unable to recall why he was that important to you. Is that not the predicament you find yourself in… Alice Nevermore?” The man asked rhetorically, before his green eyes shone with extrasensory power. “How about I refresh your memory…”

The woman was suddenly jumped by a livid Sucillia, who instantly grabbed her throat with an arm covered in the same black material as her mysterious Duel Disk. “Do you finally remember me, Mother?” The Evilswarm user all but hissed.

Alice gasped sharply. “S-Sucillia… You’re alive!”

“I am… but not thanks to you!” The girl squeezed her mother’s throat tighter.

“A few years ago, you presented Souza with a gift…” The Psychic Duelist began pontificating, watching the intense physicality with a smirk on his face. “A child born with the express purpose of being the ultimate weapon for The World, stripped of all human emotions, and guided only by the destructive impulses of the Evilswarm Duel Spirits that you merged into her body. However, when Souza saw your ‘gift’, and the cruelty that you inflicted upon your own flesh and blood, he wasn’t happy at all… He was disgusted at you!”

“When that happened, you abandoned me in the same place you dispose of all things you no longer want… In the trash!” Sucillia furiously added.

“My father Souza never forgave what you did, but he also couldn’t bring himself to hurt you.” Jax continued. “Thus, he preferred that his right-hand woman - his most irreplaceable ally - was reduced to a senile puppet… Until the time was right.”

“Go ahead, kill me…” Alice struggled to speak as well as breathe due to the chokehold. “Get your revenge, it doesn’t matter… With Souza gone, the dream that started in this very square is forever out of reach…”

Jax chuckled softly. “Alice. Oh, Alice… If you believe that Souza is truly dead, then you had no faith in him to begin with… SOUZA HAS PLANS FOR DAYS!” He roared to the heavens in a state of unparalleled rapture. “Unlike his allies, who were content with their positions of power, he saw that the period of peace achieved by the Unity Act would only be temporary, and sought a path towards true salvation. Souza will return better than ever before, and when he does, he will also have a better Nevermore by his side!” He declared, glancing at Sucillia.

The Nevermore matriarch scowled at that. “So, his plan was to replace me? As if I’d let that happen! There can only be one vessel to the Goddess, and that is ME!” She spat, trying to shoot an orb of light from her hand, only for it to fizzle out, much to her shock. “W-what?”

Sucillia eerily giggled. “Sophia gave up on you the moment you let your heart and body be tainted. Only a pure woman may wield the power of the Goddess. And thanks to Jax, my convictions are purer than they have ever been!” She flashed a wide smile at the Psychic Duelist, before placing her armored hand on Alice’s forehead, who let out a gargled scream of horror as her divine essence was slowly siphoned out of her.

“Rest assured, my dear mother… I WILL bring about the Promised Day!”

Volantis opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of a large metropolitan park located a safe distance away from what was left of Unity Stadium. He was surrounded by many confused and terrified civilians. “I take it the teleportation spell worked?” He asked.

“Looks like it.” Alex replied, taking a quick look at all the people that had been transported with them. “I swear there were a lot more people than that in the stadium, though…”

Their attention turned to a whimpering William, who groveled at Kase’s feet, Xavier standing closeby. “I’m sorry, Kase… This was all I could do in such short notice…”

“G-guys, where’s Rocky?” Mortimer worriedly asked.

Looking at his worried friend, Volantis decided to confront Kase about it. “What is Mr. Tarott talking about?”

From the Unity Champion’s expression, it was clear that the news was not pretty. “William only had time to teleport approximately half of the total people that were in Unity Stadium.”

“I asked a question!” A frustrated Mortimer yelled. “WHERE IS ROCKY?”

“What happened to the other half?” The blue-haired youth persisted.

Kase frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m afraid your friend is gone…”

“You mean… Rocky has…” Alex tearfully choked out.

“No… No! No! NO!” Mortimer took his frustration out on the poor ground, stomping it with his foot. After he was done, he plopped down, covered his face and started sobbing.

“Boohoo, your friend died. So did a bunch of other people. Get over it!” Henry Crawford walked up to them, having made it in one piece and showing very little empathy for Team Light’s tragedy. “Onto more important matters, what are we going to do about that thing?” He pointed at the Five-Headed Dragon roaring in the distance.

“I doubt he will be satisfied by just destroying the stadium…” Heiji said, gazing at the dragon as well. “Solomon Scardigne built Arcadia with his own hands, only for it to be destroyed by the dragon summoned by The World. Only after New Arcadia, a city built by The World, is completely devastated by this new dragon will Pandeity’s lust for revenge be sated.”

“Think of him as an angry ghost with an appetite for poetic justice.” Xavier cheekily added.

“Great, how do we stop him from destroying everything then?” The Crawford heir inquired, before pointing an accusatory finger at the former members of The World. “After all, I still want to see you three suffer by having your good name dragged through the mud! That can’t happen if that dragon turns you all into martyrs, can it?”

Xavier winced at that. “Ouch! Harsh, but fair…”

“It is written in the ancient texts that only a Duel Spirit of the Light attribute can even lay a hand on the Five-Headed Dragon.” William read from an incredibly old textbook.

Alex’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute! Volantis, Virgo is Light-attribute!”

“I’m not sure how that’ll help…” The Constellar Duelist rubbed the back of his head. “Virgo is part of me, yes, but I’ve never really used her power. Not intentionally, at least…”

A distracted Henry looked to the side with an annoyed expression. “Fine, I’ll tell them… Tierra wants you to know that she is also Light-attribute, partly.”

“That’s two Light monsters then! They’ll just have to hit the dragon really hard, right?” Mortimer suggested, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Kase shook his head. “It won’t be nearly enough. Their power output needs to surpass the Five-Headed Dragon’s own. Unless…” He rubbed his chin in deep thought. “It is a gamble, but we have no other options… Volantis, Henry, follow me.”

In the time it took for them to formulate a plan, Pandeity had occupied himself with destroying a sizable chunk of the city, turning New Arcadia into a hellish landscape of fire and smoke.

“Can you see this? Heiji! Nevermore! SOOOUZA! Everything you’ve worked for has amounted to nothing! Now you know my pain!”

Kase Heiji carried Volantis and Henry under his strong arms, having revealed his true form as Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s host - sporting luminous white skin, while its namesake appendages sprouted from his bare back. He flew towards two adjacent skyscrapers that against all odds still stood tall, dropping one young Duelist on each.

“Here’s what we’ll do…” Kase spoke to them via the communication feature of their Duel Disks, while he resumed his flight. “Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s ability allows it to deflect attacks from other Duel Spirits at double the power. This may sound weird, but I want you two to hit me with everything you’ve got!”

“You want me to hit you? Baby, you don’t have to ask twice!” Henry replied with a sadistic grin. His eyes flashed an azure color, as the spectral form of Tierra coiled around him.

_“My power is yoursss for a limited time, my child. Use it as you wisssh…”_

The Infernoid Duelist outstretched his hand, and was ecstatic to see blazing hot fire shooting out of his own palm. “Oh my Goddess! Such power, and I can use it however I see fit! This is incredible!” He laughed like a man drunk on godlike authority.

Kase winced as he took the fiery attack head on, doing his best to stomach it. “That’s it… Volantis… it’s your turn!” He said in a strained voice, sweat dripping down his face.

Volantis closed his eyes and whispered. “Virgo, are you with me?”

 _“I’ve been with you ever since you were a little boy…”_ A cozy, almost maternal voice replied in his head. _“I couldn’t be prouder of the man you have become.”_

“Then let’s do this!” The Constellar Duelist’s eyes shone like gold, and he unleashed a massive, luminous beam from his chest, which also hit Kase head on.

“Alright! That’ll do!” The human-Duel Spirit hybrid redirected the combined Light-attribute energy straight at the Five-Headed Dragon, shouting at the top of his lungs. “PANDEITY! TAKE! THIS!”

“IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE!” Pandeity screamed in turn.

The resulting blast was so bright, its luminance consumed New Arcadia in its entirety, clearing the skies, and allowing the sun to shine once more on the scarce remains of the city.

“I see… So, in the end my power wasn’t enough…” The warlock weakly mused, while the Five-Headed Dragon’s form slowly disintegrated, and being part of its body, so did he. “Henry Crawford, isn’t it? I can see now why you were able to beat me… I can see it so clearly.”

Henry raised a curious eyebrow, his eyes returning to normal. “How do you know my name?”

Pandeity smiled warmly, perhaps showing some humanity in his final moments. “I can see it in your face, your eyes… I can see that you are definitely my son.”

That last-minute revelation left everyone aghast, but most of all Henry. “No way! What kind of sick, twisted coincidence is this?! You’re lying!” He yelled.

“Solomon Scardigne was Henry’s father…?” Volantis muttered, still baffled.

“So what!” The young supermodel spat. “Even if what you’re saying is true, why should I care that my father was some long dead loser? Go ahead and die again! Go back to wherever you came from!” He snarled, balling his hands into fists.

Pandeity laughed at his outburst. “There’s the tenacity we Scardigne’s are known for! Mark my final words… The World may live on, but one day they will fall to their own vanity.” And with that, his laughter lingered in the air long after his material body had vanished…

Although saved from total annihilation, New Arcadia was left in ruins, with only a handful lucky buildings being miraculously spared. This event would soon become widely known as the biggest Duel Spirit-related disaster of the past decade! For now, though, two figures indifferently walked away from the demolished city, going out on a mission of their own.

“How do you feel?” Jax Axonus asked.

Sucillia looked up, her right iris having turned golden, while her left one was painted in a full spectrum of colors. “I feel great!” She replied with a wide, toothy smile.

Volantis soon reunited with his friends, feeling exhausted and wobbly after having used Virgo’s power for the first time. “Woah. Easy does it…” Mortimer helped him sit down.

“We did it…” The Constellar Duelist managed a weary smile, which became a frown when he noticed a glum Henry taking his distance from everyone else. “Henry, though… He met his father, only to lose him…”

“The important thing is that you’re safe and sound.” Alex hugged the blue-haired youth.

It was then that they noticed a lone little girl among the survivors bawling her eyes out.

“Hey there, what’s wrong?” A concerned-looking Mortimer kneeled next to her.

“I can’t find Mommy! Where’s Mommy?” The little girl sniffled.

Volantis turned to William Tarott with a questioning look. The magician solemnly shook his head, the implication being crystal clear. Silence fell from all involved parties…

“What’s wrong? Why are people not talking?” The girl naively asked.

“Never mind that!” Mortimer yanked his own collar nervously, looking for a way to change the subject. “Do you like cartoons? Every kid loves cartoons! I’m a grown-up and I love cartoons! My favorite cartoon of all time is Wacko the Cat!”

“Wacko the Cat? What’s that?” The child tilted her head curiously.

“I’d also like to know that.” Alex sat cross-legged next to them.

“Alright, so Wacko is this talking cat who really likes pulling pranks on people. And there’s this bulldog that’s also a cop, called Officer McBark. They often butt heads, and Wacko says his famous catchphrase, ‘Hi there, Officer McBark! How’s your day?’” The Toon user explained, doing a near flawless impression of the fictional feline.

“You’re funny!” The little girl started giggling.

“Call me Fun Uncle Morty!” The former hobo snickered. “What’s your name?”

“Jovie.” She replied.

Mortimer shot a meaningful look at Volantis, who nodded back at him. He then smiled and gently ruffled the girl’s auburn hair.

“So, Jovie… Would you like to join Team Light?”


	11. Anarchy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Light ventures into a new city called Endgame.

The scorching sun cast its cruel rays upon the dusty ruins of a dilapidated city. A mere 1 year ago, this gravesite of damaged concrete and rusted steel used to be a bustling, clean metropolis. The actions of one heinous Solomon Scardigne had reduced it to that sorry state, having resulted in the deaths of thousands. Officially, the city had been deemed uninhabitable, but unofficially, its activity had moved underneath the surface…

A huge crack on the ground that was about the width of a football stadium and twenty times that in length revealed an entirely new city built directly beneath the former New Arcadia, using its scraps. Parts of buildings that had fallen into this massive underground cavern now served as makeshift shelters for the destitute few who called this gritty place home. The giant chasm above provided this subterranean civilization with a much needed light source.

And yet, replete as it was with light coming in from above, this city called ‘Endgame’ had a truly dark heart, being a lawless dystopia where crime and corruption were considered the norm, and the strong freely abused the weak.

One small group planned to change that - a group calling themselves Team Light! Returning to the place where they had first met, donning dirty cloaks to conceal their identities and blend in with the rest of the seedier crowd, they infiltrated this den of anarchy in hopes of restoring peace and tranquility by combating the problem at its source.

“I asked around, and it turns out Endgame is actually split into two districts…” Volantis explained to his comrades, removing his hood after making sure that they were out of public view. “The human-only district is controlled by the ‘Draconian Dignitary’. He’s the king of organized crime around these parts. People seem to both fear and respect him.”

“Respect him with a name like that? Hah!” Mortimer slapped his knee and laughed.

“What about the other district?” Alex asked, removing their hood as well.

“That’s where all the Duel Spirits that lived in New Arcadia now reside.” The blue-haired youth replied. “Their leader is a man called ‘Visage’. He’s a total mystery.”

The smallest and youngest member of their group tugged at his cloak. “Mister Volantis, I don’t like this place. It smells funny and it’s filled with scary people.”

“I know, Jovie… Just stay close to me, okay?” Volantis patted the little girl’s head.

Alex frowned. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. This is no place for a child.”

“What was I supposed to do?” The Constellar Duelist responded. “We couldn’t leave her with Mortimer’s folks, because they still won’t talk to him. We couldn’t leave her with your folks, because they moved to the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom, which has closed its borders…”

“How is it MY fault that Kase Heiji enforced a seclusion policy on the kingdom?!” The Gishki Duelist protested.

“Stop fighting because of me!” Jovie tearfully interrupted them. “I don’t wanna stay with anyone’s folks. I wanna stay with you!” She sniffled.

Volantis let out a long sigh. “It can’t be helped… Once we defeat this Draconian Dignitary and drive all these dregs away, maybe we could have some decent people living here for a change. We could help restore this city to what it once was, over time.”

“What’s that about defeating the Dignitary, punk?!” Three unfriendly-looking street thugs suddenly intervened, all of them armed with Duel Disks. “And what’s wrong with the city the way it is now? We happen to like it here!”

“Alright, boys!” The apparent leader of the trio spoke up, cracking his neck. “Once we beat them, kill the dude, but keep those girls alive. They’ll sell for a high price on the market… especially the little one.”

“Do I really look that effeminate?” Volantis jokingly asked.

“Did these guys just assume my gender?” Alex added.

“Focus, people!” Mortimer clapped his white-gloved hands once. “As the manliest member of Team Light, I say we teach these ne’er-do-wells a lesson! What do you say?”

The other two nodded in unison. “LET’S DUEL!”

A very swift and one-sided Triple Duel later, all three thugs were lying down in defeat with their cards scattered all over the ground. “They were… too tough…” The leader of the hoodlums weakly muttered, their loss having taken such a heavy toll on his pride, he couldn’t muster the willpower to stand up.

“Now then!” Volantis pulled the man halfway up by his collar. “Since we defeated you, it’s only fair that you answer this one question, no? Where can we find the Draconian Dignitary?”

“Torture me all you want, I ain’t betraying the Dignitary.” The thug replied.

“Silly goose, we’re not gonna torture you!” Mortimer waved his hand dismissively. “Buuut, if we were to go around town telling everyone that we beat you, I bet you’d feel really stupid.”

The thug clicked his tongue in frustration. “Tch… Fine! If you wanna die that badly, word on the street is that the Dignitary will show up in the Colosseum today. He has a very special show planned for the people there…” He said with a sickening grin.

The Colosseum in question happened to be a building they were intimately familiar with; The Unity Stadium… what was left of it, at least, which was simply a part of the outer wall and some spectator seats. That didn’t stop the building from being jam-packed with people who had no problem standing up in anticipation of this ‘special show’ that the resident mob boss had teased. Team Light donned their disguises once again, and hid among the crowd.

Yet another familiar face showed up, in the form of a handcuffed man who was forcibly led to the center of the arena, being vehemently booed and heckled by the crowd along the way.

“Xavier St. Croix… What is he doing here?” Alex wondered.

“Looks like he was captured.” Volantis quietly mused.

Another man leisurely made his way into the arena; A mafioso, by the looks of it, dressed sharply in a custom-tailored, red suit. His facial features were hidden behind a draconic mask. In contrast to Xavier, this man’s entry was met with a thunderous applause.

“This has to be our guy… The Draconian Dignitary.” Mortimer whispered to the others.

The Dignitary raised his hand, ordering the crowd to go silent. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today for the reckoning of one Xavier St. Croix. Unlike those that came before me, I aspire to be a fair and just ruler, therefore I’ll let you, the people, decide his fate.” He said, before pointing dramatically at his captive. “What should be the sentence for this dog that used to be a member of The World?”

“DEATH!” The people decreed with collective bloodlust.

The Draconian Dignitary smirked, activating his Duel Disk. “The people have spoken!”

A pair of stout bodyguards uncuffed Xavier, and handed him a Duel Disk of his own. “You’re gonna regret this…” The former mercenary sneered, shuffling his deck.

Thus, the two men Dueled. The Hollywood icon and prolific Darklord user had a decent opening play, using his signature graveyard-dumping and Special Summoning style to easily bring out high-leveled monsters that would have taken tons of setup to summon normally.

When the masked mafioso began his turn, his smirk widened. “I’ve been waiting a whole year to do this… I activate Void Imagination!”

Volantis’ eyes widened, and momentarily flashed a yellow hue. “Void Imagination?! But, that card belongs to…”

As a towering, mechanical, serpentine deity emerged from a wall of azure flames, the Dignitary confidently unmasked himself, revealing a handsome, raven-haired youth with shining eyes. “Let me give you a helpful piece of advice…” He taunted Xavier, using the same words that he had once used. “Never ever mess with Henry T. Crawford!”

The holographic form of Infernoid Tierra opened its massive maw and gobbled the dumbfounded Darklord Duelist up, at the same time as real flames consumed part of the arena, burning anything that they touched.

“For crying out loud, there are children watching!” Mortimer exclaimed, while covering Jovie’s eyes, who was confused as to what was going on.

“D-did Xavier just… This is horrible!” Alex cried out.

The people of Endgame decidedly disagreed, responding to the violent execution with loud cheers and a standing ovation. They cheered for Henry, who stood victorious amidst a charred battlefield with no signs of his opponent in sight.

They cheered for their leader - the ruthless, the charismatic, the lavish Draconian Dignitary!


	12. Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volantis and Mortimer take up a dangerous mission.

Volantis seethed with anger. All of Team Light did to an extent. Not only had they just found out that a former ally of theirs - one whose help had been instrumental in the battle against Pandeity - was the mastermind behind everything occurring in this sinful town, but the people even supported his cruelty and showered him with words of praise.

“That’s our Draconian Dignitary!”  
“Hell yeah! That terrorist scum got what he deserved!”  
“We want more! We want more!”  
“Punish everyone responsible for what happened to Arcadia!”

Having heard enough, the Constellar Duelist decided to forsake his disguise and step out into the open. “What’s the matter with you people?! Have you no humanity?! You’re actually cheering for this bloodthirsty maniac?!” He yelled, getting the rowdy crowd’s attention.

Henry turned to the source of the yelling, raising an intrigued eyebrow. “Oh? What have we here? It’s Volantis Z. Butterfly and his group of dim-witted friends!”

“My wits are bright as day, thank you very much!” Mortimer glared at him crossly.

“The one who needs to be punished is you, Henry Crawford!” The leader of Team Light declared. “Earlier you claimed to be a fair and just ruler, but you’re really nothing but a tyrant! You keep your people happy at day with bread and circuses, while at night they live in fear of being robbed, assaulted or worse!” He added, before raising his Duel Disk-wielding arm. “I challenge you to a Duel right here and now! We’ll put an end to your reign of fear today!”

His long speech was met with a bored yawn from the Crawford heir. “No thanks. That last Duel has left me weary. If you want to Duel that badly, though, it can be arranged…”

With a mere clicking of his fingers, the entire audience brandished their own Duel Disks, eyeing the cornered members of Team Light ominously.

“Guys, what do we do? There’s so many of them!” Alex sweated nervously.

“By challenging the Draconian Dignitary, you challenge Endgame itself.” Henry nonchalantly grinded his shiny dress shoes against the charred ground of the arena. “I don’t underestimate your skills at all, but even you won’t be able to handle that many opponents at once. So, how about this… If you do something for me first, then I might consider accepting your challenge whenever my schedule clears up. Sounds much better than dying for nothing, no?”

Volantis weighed their options, eventually lowering his arm. “I’m listening…”

“A search and rescue mission on Duel Spirit territory?! What were you thinking when you said yes?!” Mortimer ranted, while he and Volantis uncomfortably crawled inside a narrow air duct, their voices reverberating on the metal walls.

“We’ll just have to find Henry’s men, free them, and go back without being spotted.” The blue-haired youth responded. “The humans in Endgame are at odds with the Duel Spirit faction, and dare not step into their territory. Henry knew that we couldn’t deny his request. He even kept Alex and Jovie as ‘warranty’, in order to ensure that we wouldn’t try to leave town.”

“He’s not only pretty, he’s smart too, I’ll give him that… What’s with humans and Duel Spirits being at odds with each other, though? A year ago, they were going on and on about Unity this, Unity that!” The Toon user pondered aloud.

“Souza’s death and The World’s disbandment changed a lot of things.” Volantis stated. “Kase Heiji went back to the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom, which cut off all affairs with human nations. At the same time, rogue Duel Spirits started attacking a number of human settlements, and nobody seems to know why. It’s quite a mess…”

Mortimer frowned. “So, all of a sudden Duel Spirits start attacking towns for no reason, and the Duel Spirit Kingdom refuses to make a comment? Sounds pretty fishy, if you ask me…”

Elsewhere, far away from Endgame, a dinosaur-like creature with a rock-hard body and magma coursing through its veins was peacefully sleeping near an active volcano. That was, until a detached voice interrupted its sleep…

_“Eliminate! Eradicate! Exterminate! Now go out and hunt!”_

Its reptilian eyes shot wide open, glowing a baleful red light. The magma flowing inside its body turned black as tar, while its scales changed into a sickly green hue. Seemingly going berserk in a matter of seconds, the woken up apex predator let out a deafening roar, and ran off in the direction the voice in its head pointed it to.

After breaking out of the ventilation system, Volantis and Mortimer found themselves inside some kind of closed-off complex. Rumbling noises coming from nearby indicated the presence of a large, sentient crowd. Once they turned around the corner, they found a massive, indoor Dueling ring of sorts, where the audience comprised monsters of all conceivable shapes and sizes.

In the middle of the arena, two human males were having a Duel, both of them looking like they were there against their will. “I hate to do this to you, mate, but it’s over!” The bigger of the two men announced, revealing a pair of Trap cards. “With my Life Equalizer, both our Life Points become 3,000. And now, my Magical Explosion will turn your 3,000 into a zero!”

A strange device strapped around the other man’s neck generated a visible electrical current. His agonized screams were drowned out by the crowd’s loud shrieks of excitement.

“Yes! Make the Duelist feel pain!”  
“This is for all the Duel Spirits that humans have abused!”  
“Suffer more in the name of our brethren!”

The Duel’s violent finish had Volantis shaking his head. “So this is what Duel Spirits have been doing to their human captives… Forcing them to fight each other for survival.”

“Those Duel Spirits are just as bad as the people back at Henry’s Colosseum.” Mortimer gritted his teeth. “Scratch that, they might be even worse!”

A fat, man-sized rodent suddenly walked by, holding a wad of cash in its claw. “Who knew these underground manfights could bring in so much dough! I’m gonna be rich in no time!” The Neo-Spacian Grand Mole snickered, until it turned its head and its eyes met theirs. “Eek! It’s those stingy Duel Spirit haters!”

“You again?!” Volantis and Mortimer exclaimed in unison.

“Vorse Raiders, don’t let them escape!” The overweight rodent ordered a squadron of monstrous, wicked-looking warriors to surround the two humans, pointing their terrifying bladed weapons at them.

“It has come to my attention that we’re REALLY bad at the whole stealth thing!” The former hobo observed, putting his hands up in surrender.

Soon, the two young Duelists had shock collars strapped around their necks too, before being dragged to the arena. Grand Mole secured the best seats in the house, rubbing its claws greedily. “Let’s see who gets taken out first. My money’s on that girly-looking guy!”

“Explain what this is, Neo-Spacian!” A heavily-modified voice sounded, as a new figure joined Grand Mole on the balcony - one covered head to toe in high-tech armor.

“V-Visage?!” The earthen Duel Spirit gasped. “We were just about to have these two humans Duel each other to the death. To pay for all the crimes Duelists have committed, of course!”

“This is Visage, huh? The leader of the Duel Spirit faction…” Volantis looked up at the armored figure, noting their humanoid shape and the presence of elaborate wings made up of various machine parts, giving off the impression of a mechanical bird of prey. “He’s a human-Duel Spirit hybrid, just like Kase Heiji…”

After a moment of silent deliberation, Visage nodded. “Very well. You may proceed.”

The Duel for survival began, with each blow dealing damage to the Duelists’ Life Points, as well as their bodies, racking them with high-voltage electricity. Their screams of pain only brought joy to the crowd of bigoted Duel Spirits, who chanted for more! Curiously, Visage did not participate in their revelry, opting instead to watch in silence…

“I’m sorry for this, Morty… Constellar Praesepe, attack!” Volantis ordered his warrior of the stars to punch Mortimer in the stomach with its golden knuckle dusters.

“It’s not over yet… Toon Dark Magician Girl, attack directly!” The Toon user yelled, as a feminine cartoon character bonked Volantis on the head with a magical staff.

Volantis’ ace monster came out next. “Constellar Pleiades, attack!”

“GAH!” Mortimer was electrocuted once more, his legs nearly giving out. Still, he managed to crack a smile. “I knew you’d summon Pleiades eventually. Now I have the upper hand… or should I say Comic Hand!” A giant, gloved hand stole Volantis’ monster, transforming it into a caricature of itself. “Now, Toon Constellar Pleiades, attack directly!”

The Constellar Duelist reeled back in pain, clutching his chest. “Your skills have greatly improved since the Unity Cup… I’m afraid I can’t make a comeback after this…”

Mortimer’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? You’ve always made a comeback!”

“Not this time… If you attack me again on your next turn, you’ll win…” The blue-haired youth smiled soberly, accepting his fate. “Take care of Alex and Jovie for me…”

The Toon user bit his lower lip, tears running down his cheeks. “In that case, I’ll activate Pleiades’ effect… targeting my Toon Kingdom!” His own Field Spell vanished, causing Volantis’ monster to turn back to normal and go back to its rightful owner. “Now I’M the one who can’t make a comeback, so hurry up and attack me!”

“That bowtie-wearing weirdo’s about to throw the game!” Grand Mole revealed a remote control wedged between its claws. “Looks like I’ll have to take matters into my own hands…”

The visor of Visage’s helmet glowed. “No, you will not.” A metal cord shot out of their wrist, snatching the remote out of Grand Mole’s claws before the button could be pushed.

“Lord Visage, w-why?” The brown rodent cried out.

The winged suit of armor flew down to the arena, using the remote to disengage Volantis’ and Mortimer’s shock collars. “I have seen enough. This Duel should continue no more.” They decreed, before turning towards the bewildered crowd. “You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves! It is true that for many years Duel Spirits have suffered in the hands of irresponsible Duelists. However, you have become just as cruel as the people you are protesting against. These two Duelists just proved to you that humans are capable of compassion. Should we not show some compassion to them in turn?”

After having lectured the crowd, Visage approached the two humans, bowing respectfully. “I deeply apologize on their behalf. It turns out I was blind to what my own subjects were doing. Is there anything I can do to make up for the ordeal you two just went through?”

“I’m just glad it’s over…” Volantis rubbed his throat in relief. “It might be bold of me to ask, but if you could have all the human captives released, I’d say we’d be even.”

The human-Duel Spirit hybrid nodded. “It will be done. Not only that, but as of this day, this Dueling ring will cease its activities.”

“Lord Visage, please! Don’t put me outta business!” Grand Mole tearfully pleaded.

“While you’re at it, have that oversized beaver write 100 times ‘I will never diss Team Light again.’” Mortimer cheekily added.

“‘Beaver’?! I’m a MOLE!” The Neo-Spacian snarled at him.

The Toon user smirked. “Whatever you say, beaver!”

Visage made what sounded like a laugh. “I’ll make sure he gets right to it!”

Later that day, Volantis and Mortimer were summoned to the Draconian Dignitary’s office, where they found Henry sitting on a couch and casually reading a book titled ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. “Good job bringing my men back, you two. I guess even moralistic idiots have their uses after all.” The young mob boss said in his usual sarcastic tone.

“Mister Volantis, you’re back!” Jovie ran up to the Constellar Duelist, hugging him.

“Hey, Jovie… Where’s Alex?” The blue-haired youth asked.

“Mister Henry sent Alex on a mission!” The little girl happily replied.

Volantis froze at that, his gaze being redirected at the Crawford heir, whom he glared at.

“What kind of mission…?”


	13. Worthless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volantis and Mortimer go to find where Alex went, and meet some familiar faces.

“I will ask one more time…” Volantis furrowed his brow, staring steadfastly at the nonchalant Crawford heir. “Where. Is. Alex?” He separated each word for emphasis.

“One of my informants up on the surface was kind enough to let me know that a neighbouring town was under attack by an unidentified Duel Spirit.” Henry explained in a matter-of-factly manner, snapping his book shut. “I merely suggested that Alex should be the one to go over there and assess the damage. After all, it was quite unfair for your friend to stay back here as a glorified babysitter, while you two were out doing important things.”

“You talked them into going there ALONE?!” Volantis nearly lunged at Henry, only to be stopped by his bodyguards.

“It’s okay, Henry can’t help being a manipulative jerk!” Mortimer intervened in an attempt to placate his friend.

“You’re right…” The effeminate youth took a step back. “I don’t know why, but something tells me that Alex is in grave danger. We must get to that town immediately!”

“Can I come with you?” An eager Jovie asked.

“No, you must stay here.” Volantis said, before glaring at a certain manipulative jerk in the room. “If you so much as harm a hair on her head…”

“Relax! She’s ten years too young to be my type anyway.” Henry reassured him.

After traveling on foot for nearly a day, Volantis and Mortimer finally made it to the town in question. What they found there was far from pretty… In the first place, it looked more like a desolate junkyard than a functional town, but the smoke still coming from the charred remains of broken down buildings indicated that the damage had been recent.

“Geez, have we arrived too late?” Mortimer looked worriedly at the ruined landscape.

“What could have possibly done this…?” Volantis pondered aloud.

His question wouldn’t remain unanswered for long, as a Duel Spirit resembling a T-Rex revealed itself, its gargantuan body covered in spiky armor plates. The ground shook with each step this reptilian giant took. It drooled profusely from its jaws, while its blood-red eyes were fixated on the two humans, glowing with impalpable rage and malice.

“Isn’t it beautiful…?” A young, white-haired woman stood next to the dinosaur’s massive foot. Her slender frame was covered unevenly in various parts of obsidian armor. Part of that armor reached all the way to her chin, clinging to her cheeks by pulsating, black tendrils.

Volantis’ eyes narrowed. “Sucillia Nevermore… I thought that creature reeked of your evil!”

“Why, thank you!” Sucillia let out an unhinged giggle, her heterochromatic eyes glowing in a variety of colors. “Evilswarm Salamandra is one of many lucky Duel Spirits that were blessed by the Virus.”

“‘Blessed’? Your Virus has corrupted this once wonderful creature and turned it into a mindless, savage beast!” The Constellar Duelist spat. His expression softened upon noticing the state of the woman’s body. “It’s doing the same thing to you, isn’t it? Ever since our last Duel, ever since those accursed Evilswarm souls tormented you… I can’t begin to imagine your pain, but perhaps we could help you. We can save you from this nightmare, if you would let us…” He offered, extending his hand towards her.

“It is wrong of you to assume that she needs saving… Just as it is wrong to assume that just because she’s evil her cause isn’t a noble one.” A new, yet familiar voice sounded. Enter a tall man with long, wavy hair, who stood by Sucillia’s side.

“Jax, old buddy, old pal! We haven’t seen you since the Unity Cup! Where had you been?” Mortimer beamed at the sight of their former ally.

“I don’t think he’s our ‘buddy’ anymore, Morty…” Volantis grimaced.

A wide smile formed on Jax’s stubbled face. “Your intuition is right. I only joined Team Light so that I could observe other Duelists and evaluate them. After putting up with your combined foolishness for a whole week, I concluded that you were worthless.”

“Wow, okay! I had no idea you loved us this much!” The Toon user sarcastically remarked.

“Can you even claim that I’m wrong?” The Psychic Duelist continued. “Your incompetence showed itself in your inability to save your friend’s life.”

“Don’t you dare bring Rocky’s death into this!”

“I wasn’t referring to Rocky…”

Morbid silence fell, the pieces finally coming together to form a ghastly picture. It was Volantis who eventually mustered the fortitude to speak up, after struggling to come to terms with the ugly truth. “What happened to Alex?”

“Do you really want to know?” Sucillia’s shrill laughter filled the air. “Let’s just say your friend proved to be a rather delicious snack for my beautiful pet!” She told him, her Evilswarm Salamandra lowering its big head so that she could stroke its snout.

“YOU’RE LYING!” Mortimer snapped at her, his eyes getting watery. “Alex is one of the best Duelists I know! They defeated Pandeity! They would never fall to the likes of you!”

The Nevermore heiress smugly revealed a shiny shard of glass held in her gauntleted hand. “Do you believe me now?”

“The Gishki Aquamirror… So it’s true then…” A bewildered Volantis muttered, his face soon becoming a mask of fury. “And here we were trying to save you! An evil creature like you is beyond saving! You shall be vanquished!” He loudly proclaimed, Constellar Virgo’s feminine voice mixing with his own. He rampantly charged at the enemy, manifesting a sword made out of pure light in his hand.

“To your left.” Jax calmly uttered.

Sucillia dodged his attack with relative ease, the state of the black armor covering her arm instantly shifting from solid to viscous, assuming the form of a terrifying sword of her own.

“He will jump now.”

Volantis jumped, attempting to strike her from above, but their swords clashed against one another, and Sucillia pushed him back with a superhumanly strong kick.

“Watch out! She can somehow tell what you’ll do before you do it!” Mortimer warned him.

“TOO LATE!” The Evilswarm host roared, making a lightning-fast dash towards a still stumbling Volantis, and seamlessly impaling him with her sword.

“NOOOOO!!” Mortimer screamed at the top of his lungs, spittle flying out of his mouth.

As the obsidian blade was slowly pulled out of his body, all luster disappeared from the young man’s eyes, and he fell on the ground with an unceremonious thud. “Yet another weakling falls. This is too easy.” Sucillia mused, her sword turning back into part of her armor.

“Was killing Alex not enough…? What is wrong with you?!” The Toon user yelled at her with tears in his eyes. His grief and justified anger gave birth to a new resolve, prompting him to activate his Duel Disk. “Duel me right now! I’m not afraid of you! I’ll avenge Team Light!”

In response to that resolve, Sucillia ran up to him and simply punched him in the gut, laughing maniacally as she did. “Your naiveté is amusing! Why should I bother playing your silly card game when I can just squash you like the bug that you are!” She proceeded to kick his body repeatedly after he had already keeled over to the ground. “You’re too weak to even defend yourself! Just like your pathetic friend, who cried like a baby and begged me to take YOUR life instead of theirs!”

“Argh… Stop lying!” Mortimer grunted in pain. “Alex would never say such a thing!”

“How do you know?” The kicking abruptly stopped. “You weren’t here when they needed you the most. Some friend you are!”

“Those friends you surrounded yourself with were nothing but a crutch for your broken pride.” Jax took his time pontificating, leisurely pacing to and fro. “You worshiped this idea of Team Light being the ultimate force of good - an idea no doubt inspired by all the cartoons you incessantly watched as a child - just to convince yourself that you were a hero… that you were not a total failure. But in the end, Mortimer Williams, you are nothing but an insecure little man whose own father disowned him, because he didn’t have what it takes to survive in the real world!”

“Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!” The former hobo snarled furiously, his fingers digging into the dirt. “Maybe you’re right… Maybe I did it all for myself, but still… I’m thankful that Volantis, and Rocky, and Alex saw me as a friend, even if I didn’t deserve their friendship. But you…” He mustered every bit of his strength to lift his head off the ground and shoot a deadly glare at Sucillia. “You’ll never know what it’s like to have friends! Nobody will ever love you unconditionally, because YOU DON’T DESERVE TO EXIST!”

“Morty…” Volantis’ body shook, as he weakly raised his head. “It’s not true… You did deserve it… I’m glad to call you my friend.” He uttered in a weakened, whimpery voice.

“Volantis… Thank goodness.” Mortimer flashed a genuine, relieved smile.

“You’re alive? What a nuisance…” Sucillia scowled. “Let’s get rid of you first then.”

Evilswarm Salamandra raised its gigantic foot, about to crush the Constellar user under it…

“Cool iron bodies meet burning metal machines, and man and machine combine!”

A roaring engine sounded in the distance, getting closer and closer at an alarming rate.

“Burn up the soul - METALFOES FUSION!!”

A motorcycle drifted into the scene, kicking up a sizable amount of dust as its rider hit the brakes. At the same time, a humanoid Duel Spirit with large vehicular wheels attached to its golden armor barreled in, tackling the virus-infected T-Rex with enough force to send it flying backwards. The reptilian beast was barely able to instinctively correct its footing and stand firmly on the ground once more.

“Who dares interfere!” An enraged Sucillia shrieked.

“It’s time for us to leave. Call your little pet off.” Jax grabbed her by the shoulder.

“I’m not leaving until all these nuisances are dead!” She retorted.

“We’ve already wasted precious time here! You’ve had your fun, now we need to continue our work!” The man insisted.

“Fine!” The white-haired woman groaned, running up to the grotesque dinosaur and using its massive tail as a ramp to climb on top of its back.

Jax followed suit, but not before casting one last glance at the golden-armored Duel Spirit that had crashed their party. “How did he know that I was here? Could it be…” He muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, a barely conscious Volantis stared at their last-minute savior with a confused look. “Who are you…?”

The stranger climbed off his motorcycle and quickly approached him and Mortimer, kneeling next to the injured youth.

“My name is Hans Stovoje… I had a hunch that someone needed my help.”


	14. Conspiracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes lick their wounds after their encounter with Sucillia and Jax.

Time after time, the sound of steel clashing against steel echoed into the void. The enemy was strong and unrelenting. As the fight went on, Volantis grew wearier and wobblier, until his shadowy opponent found an opening and thrust their sword forward.

Constellar Virgo put herself between him and his attacker, taking the hit in his place. Rather than killing her, the black blade’s corrupting touch spread all over her, turning her into the very thing that Volantis hated.

_“Eliminate… Eradicate… Exterminate…”_

“VIRGO, NO!” The Constellar Duelist screamed as he woke up, entirely drenched in sweat. A sharp pain assaulted his ribs, which he found out were covered in many bandages.

“Woah, take it easy! Your wound hasn’t closed up yet!” A man wearing a leather jacket over a motorbike suit hastily approached the bed where Volantis lied.

“Hans Stovoje…” The blue-haired youth uttered, wincing in discomfort. “Where are we?”

“We’re back in Endgame. You’ve been out for a whole day.” The other man replied.

“Where’s Morty…?”

“Here I am, buddy.” In came a rather beat up-looking Mortimer. “It’s good to have you back.”

“Mister Volantis!” Jovie jumped on the bed, hugging the injured man unexpectedly. “I was worried that you’d never wake up!” She had a nice, long cry.

“I’m sorry I made you worry, Jovie…” Volantis rubbed the girl’s back comfortingly, before turning his gaze at Hans. “I have no words to thank you for saving us back there.”

“I can’t take all the credit for it. My partner, Metalfoes Goldriver, did most of the work.” Hans pointed at the humanoid, spiky-haired Duel Spirit sitting nearby, who waved at them.

“I see. Then my gratitude extends to you as well.” Volantis said, before frowning. “Wait… What happened with Sucillia and Jax?”

“They left in a big hurry.” Hans explained, sitting next to Goldriver. “I had to choose between pursuing them or getting you guys to safety, so I chose the latter. Any other questions?”

“I have a question.” Henry walked in, sternly staring at the man. “What were YOU doing there? Last time I checked, you were living on the mountains like a hermit. What I’m getting at is that you have an unsettling habit of showing up at the most convenient times.”

“You two have a history?” Volantis raised a curious eyebrow.

“He used to be my janitor.” The Crawford heir replied.

“I prefer the term custodian.” Hans corrected him. “And my being there wasn’t entirely the work of fate. I’ve been tracking Jax down for a while now. He and I share a special kind of ‘connection’, you see. I have a decent idea of what he’s been up to, but… this stuff is not for her ears.” He pointed meaningfully at Jovie.

Henry rolled his eyes, grabbing a hologram-projecting tablet from the desk, as well as a pair of earbuds, all of which he handed to the child. “There. Go watch cartoons or something.”

“Should I?” Jovie looked pleadingly at the members of Team Light.

“Go nuts, kid!” Mortimer gave an approving thumbs up. “Watch some Wacko the Cat episodes, you’ll get a good laugh. Only from the first season, though.”

“Okay.” The little girl happily put the earbuds on, and sat in the corner of the room, where she fully engrossed herself in the wonders of pirating vintage TV shows for kids.

“So, what is this all about?” The raven-haired youth inquired.

The former janitor sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard on the news about all the towns that have been attacked recently… It is my theory - no, my firm belief - that Jax Axonus is behind those attacks. I’ve traced his movements to the best of my ability, and he always seems to conveniently be where disaster has struck or is going to strike.”

“Come to think of it, we lost contact with Jax shortly after the Unity Cup.” Volantis mused.

Hans nodded. “Those attacks started happening around the same time too. The timeline matches up almost too well!”

Henry raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Interesting conspiracy theory, but it falls flat on one crucial detail… All evidence and eyewitness accounts point to those towns being attacked by Duel Spirits. I’d sooner suspect Visage’s faction of being involved.”

“Your media calls them ‘rogue’ Duel Spirits.” Metalfoes Goldriver spoke for the first time, his tone stoic, yet firm. “However, no normal Duel Spirit would wantonly destroy that many innocent lives, regardless of where their loyalty lied.”

“There was nothing normal about that thing…” Mortimer scowled in disgust.

“I assume by ‘thing’ you mean Sucillia’s pet?” Hans tilted his head questioningly. “Volantis kept mumbling the name ‘Evilswarm’ in his sleep. I’d like to know more about that.”

“Evilswarm is an ancient virus, and the sworn enemy of the Constellar tribe.” The effeminate youth began to exposit. “It completely corrupts its host, turning them into a mindless beast that seeks only to eliminate, to eradicate, and to exterminate.”

“That monster looked all too happy destroying a town filled with innocents. It certainly didn’t hold back on killing Alex…” The Toon user added, his hands shaking.

“Sucillia did mention having infected several Duel Spirits with the Virus. Could it be that all those attacks were the result of infected Duel Spirits going on a rampage?” Volantis asked.

The Infernoid Duelist hummed in deep thought. “Hmm… It certainly sounds like the kind of thing a loose cannon like her would do, but what about Jax? What would be his motivation?”

“I don’t know…” The leader of Team Light admitted. “Jax was always difficult to figure out. He mostly kept to himself when he was on our team, and didn’t talk unless he had to.”

One of Henry’s henchmen suddenly rushed in. “Dignitary, you have to watch the news! Kase Heiji is in the U.N. headquarters! They’re transmitting live!”

“What?!” The young mafioso quickly switched a holographic TV screen on.

As shown on the screen, Kase Heiji had indeed taken the stand. The large assembly hall of the United Nations had been filled by a murmuring crowd of foreign representatives, whose incessant bickering was so distracting and untamable, it made this session seem less like standard procedure, and more like a wild mob was throwing one accusation after another.

“Why has the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom refused to even partake in dialogue until now?”  
“Instead of addressing the problem, you’ve let it get out of hand!”  
“Was your recent seclusion policy truly put in place to support your nation’s interests, or was it your way of dodging responsibility?”

Kase leaned towards the microphone. “The seclusion policy was put in place in order to ensure my people’s safety after what happened with New Arcadia.” He responded.

“While you ensured your people’s safety, our own national security has waned!”  
“The damage to our economy is substantial! Not to mention the loss of human lives!”

The Heiji monarch grimaced ever so slightly. “If you would just let me explain…”

“We gave up part of our land in order for you to build your kingdom, and now we’re losing even more land!”  
“Is that how the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom plans to expand? By doing exactly what The World did to Arcadia?”  
“Your silence only makes you appear more suspect!”

Henry’s eyes shot wide open. “Of course, it was so obvious! Human-Duel Spirit relations were already tense enough, but now they’re actively worse. By operating from the shadows, Jax and Sucillia have created the perfect conditions to frame Kase Heiji for their crimes! If the U.N. is led to believe that the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom was behind the attacks on human soil, it will be seen as a declaration of war!”

“We can prevent that, though. Right?” Mortimer asked, while worriedly staring at the screen. “We’ll just have to prove that Jax and Sucy are the ones who did it… Right?”

Hans shook his head, his expression hardening. “It might be too late for that. Based on the tone some of those foreign representatives are using, they’re not gonna believe anything except what they want to believe.”

“The same goes for either side.” The Crawford heir added. “The situation is a ticking time bomb at this point… All it will take is one last spark to set everything ablaze.”

Far away, a fighter jet performed aerial maneuvers as part of a routine drill. Undetected by the aircraft’s advanced sensors, a large, unidentified creature flew above it; A purple bird with several thorny tentacles extending from its head. The giant bird dropped a person, who landed seamlessly and effortlessly on top of the moving aircraft.

“Eliminate! Eradicate! Exterminate!” That person - that woman in black armor - chanted.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot was enveloped in a dark miasma. He took his helmet off to reveal bloodshot eyes filled with animalistic rage. “Bombs! Bombs! Bombs! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!” He yelled from his foaming mouth, while smashing buttons on the controls.

Bombs did rain from the sky, falling towards a local village filled with unsuspecting Duel Spirits that went on about their daily, peaceful lives… Everything went up in flames, hundreds of little cries filled the air, and a green-haired girl hugging her pet falcon closely let out a final, mournful wail for anyone with the right sensibilities to hear…

“Argh…” Kase winced, his hand moving to his temple. “They’re all dead… Every last one of them… at the hands of the human military!” He bared his teeth, showing off his sharp, draconic fangs. “Who’s responsible for this?! Who ordered for that village to be bombed?!”

The various representatives attending this United Nations meeting were confused and puzzled by his sudden outburst.

“What village was bombed? What are you talking about?”  
“Don’t try to change the subject! You and your kingdom will answer for all the damages that Duel Spirits have caused!”

“Liars! Liars, the lot of you!” The human-Duel Spirit hybrid growled as power built up in his body, visualized as a pale green aura that surrounded him. “WHO GAVE THE ORDER?!”

At that point, the image and sound quality dropped, becoming distorted and staticky. One could vaguely make out several disjointed sounds that ranged from terrified screams, to explosions, to things falling apart, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

When the quality returned to normal, Kase was directly facing the camera, surrounded by flames, while the namesake appendages of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon had manifested on his back. “There isn’t a single honest human in this world! I have lived for countless years and this fact has not changed! Not even Souza or Solomon were pure, for they fell to their hubrises… You care only for yourselves, and kill that which you are afraid of! As of this day, there will be a Unity Act no more! No longer will we ask you kindly to change your ways! Instead, we will use the same violence you so readily resort to!” He announced, materializing a ball of energy in his hand.

The transmission then cut off, presumably due to the recording equipment being destroyed.

A dumbfounded Volantis gaped at the blank holographic display. “The Unity Act… is no more?” He muttered in his shock.

“W-what the heck just happened?” An equally shocked Mortimer blurted out.

“I knew it! That hypocrite! That total joke of a king!” Henry ranted, before breaking into a hysterical laughing fit, clutching his sides as if guffawing at the biggest cosmic irony the universe had ever delivered upon his doorstep. After alerting nearly everyone in the room with his freakish behavior, he regained his composure and turned towards Team Light, smugly smiling and raising a finger.

“Isn’t it obvious? Kase Heiji has declared war on mankind!”


	15. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war between humans and Duel Spirits begins.

Not even an hour had passed since Kase Heiji’s world-shaking declaration, and the streets of Endgame were in a state of total chaos that - for once - had nothing to do with the run-of-the-mill anarchy that plagued this crime-ridden town. The denizens of the Duel Spirit district were marching in the Draconian Dignitary’s turf as an unstoppable, angry mob - nay, an army - attacking any humans on sight. Those that were smart barricaded themselves inside their homes, and prayed that the stampede would move past without noticing them.

“How irksome… Endgame is mine! They think they can get away with threatening my city?” Henry sneered, while observing the situation unfold from one of the Colosseum’s windows. “I didn’t plan to get involved in this utter nonsense, but they’ve forced my hand!”

“I know we’ve had our differences, but if it’s about saving innocent lives, we can offer you our help.” Volantis approached the raven-haired youth, while hastily putting his own shirt on.

“Are you sure you can fight in your state?” Mortimer worriedly rushed to his side.

“Yes, I’m fine. Argh…” The effeminate youth winced in pain, tightly clutching his ribs.

“YOU IDIOTS!” The Infernoid Duelist snapped at them. “This isn’t another of your heroic fantasies, where you storm the castle, defeat the evil wizard and save the day! This is WAR!”

“Henry has a point.” Hans intervened. “You can’t pick a side, unless you’re ready to soil your hands with the blood of your enemies.”

The Toon user’s expression soured at that. “The Duel Spirits attacked first, plus I AM a human, so I’m obviously gonna pick the human side! Isn’t that right, Volantis?”

“Virgo is a Duel Spirit, and I owe my life to her… I’m not sure which side I would pick.” The Constellar Duelist somberly replied.

“Mister Volantis…” Jovie looked up at him with watery eyes. “Why are people talking about war… and blood? I’m scared… Where’s Alex?”

“D-Don’t worry about a thing, Jovie!” A very nervous Mortimer patted the little girl’s head, trying to dodge her question at all costs. “We’ll get through this, like we always do!”

“Your best chance of surviving is getting out of Endgame pronto.” Hans proposed, picking up his motorcycle helmet. “Goldriver and I can help you.” He added.

“We are once again in your debt.” Volantis nodded in gratitude.

“You might wanna do that quickly.” Henry said, his eyes glowing an otherworldly, azure hue. “Things are going to get ‘hot’ here pretty soon…”

The horde of Duel Spirits got ever closer to the Colosseum, easily breaking their way past any makeshift barriers that the desperate human citizens set up. Only one thing managed to temporarily quell their rage, and that was the sight of a high-tech suit of armor flying in the air.

“It’s our leader Visage! He has come to aid us in our fight against the humans!”  
“Hail Lord Visage! Hail Kase Heiji! Hail the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom!”

Visage landed in front of the chanting crowd, smoke still coming out of the gas turbines attached to their mechanical wings. “My brothers and sisters, please hear me out! You are making a terrible mistake! Violence only begets more violence!”

“Are you saying we shouldn’t go to war with the humans?” A humanoid weasel wearing big, puffy pants stepped forward. “Some of our families lived in that village! Are we not supposed to avenge their deaths?” They growled.

“By taking your anger out on people who had nothing to do with it?!” Visage’s voice cracked ever so slightly. “It isn’t right… Please, you need to stop this madness!”

“Your mixed heritage renders your resolve weak.” Another Duel Spirit chimed in - this one being a burly ninja with a red scarf around their muscular neck. “Our king is Kase Heiji. Our loyalty lies with him first and foremost. Deserters will not be forgiven… even if it’s you.”

Their debate was interrupted by a searing sound, as gigantic balls of fire rained down on them. “Watch out!” Visage summoned an all-encompassing energy shield to protect everyone, mitigating the damage.

“Lord Visage, more fireballs are on the way!” The weasel-esque Duel Spirit warned them.

“Brave Claw Revolution!” The human-Duel Spirit hybrid exclaimed, shooting a bunch of heat-seeking missiles out of their mechanical wings that dispersed the rest of the fireballs before they could impact with the ground.

Henry’s voice traveled to them via a booming loudspeaker. “This is the Draconian Dignitary. Move out of my territory at once, or so help me, you WILL feel Tierra’s wrath!”

Meanwhile, a motorcycle raced through Endgame’s rooftops, ridden by none other than Hans Stovoje. “Hold on tight, friends! This will be a bumpy ride!” He warned his passengers.

“You heard the man, Jovie! Don’t let go!” Mortimer yelled, while latching onto Hans’s back.

“Okay, Uncle Morty!” The little girl yelled back, while sitting safely on the front part of the bike, the wind crashing against her face and making her eyes tear up.

“Everything good on your end, partner?” Hans hollered ahead.

“So far so good!” Metalfoes Goldriver answered, while riding a gleaming, golden buggy with Volantis as his only passenger. Fire spewed out of the exhaust pipes, making the vehicle accelerate up to amazing speeds. “Hold on, I’m sensing a mighty presence…”

“Where do you think you’re going?” A flying figure suddenly emerged in front of them; A draconic Duel Spirit clad in shining, knightly armor, riding what appeared to be a mix between a horse and an Eastern dragon as their steed. “On my honor as a Dracoslayer, I cannot allow any humans to survive!” The rider boisterously declared, as their steed flapped its wings, generating strong gusts of wind that pushed the group backwards.

“Volantis, jump!” Goldriver warned his passenger ahead of time, hitting the brakes on his buggy. “Metalfoes Fusion!” The vehicle broke apart and reassembled itself as a suit of golden armor that hugged the Psychic-type Duel Spirit’s body.

Having jumped before the transformation occurred, the Constellar Duelist materialized his sword of pure light, which he jabbed into the roof of the building they were currently on, thus anchoring himself to it and cushioning his fall.

In his powered-up form, the Metalfoes warrior made a courageous charge towards the enemy, only for the Dracoslayer’s steed to summon a powerful tornado from the horn on its head, blowing him back and sending him flying halfway across town!

“GOLDRIVER!” Hans cried out.

“Fool, none can stand against the power of the Kirin!” The Dracoslayer boldly stated, climbing off their steed and proceeding to dash towards the distressed motorcyclist, knocking his bike over along with everyone on it.

“Argh!” Hans grunted in pain as his body skidded on the roof’s rough surface.

An equally hurt Mortimer clicked his tongue. “Tch… Your best bet is running away, he said! It will be fine, he said!” He willed himself to stand up, pulling a frying pan out of his tattered cloak. “Good thing I always carry my trusty frying pan on my person!” He said, before trying to hit the Dracoslayer on the back with it.

His quirky weapon of choice failed to even leave a scratch on the dragon knight’s pristine armor, who simply slapped the former hobo away with their scaly tail. “Get back down, you!”

“Morty!” Volantis yanked his sword out of the roof tiles and tried to rush to his friend’s aid, only to be intercepted by the Kirin, who pointed its horn threateningly at him. “Please, leave us alone! We don’t want to fight you! We just want to get out of here alive!” He pleaded.

“People can’t always get what they want.” The draconic Duel Spirit responded. “None of you may leave here alive. None of you…” They eerily added, slowly walking towards a hurt and frightened Jovie, whom they grabbed harshly by the arm.

“Let me go! You’re hurting me!” The little girl whined.

Mortimer’s eyes fearfully widened. “What are you doing?! Let her go!”

Hans balled his hands into fists. “Damn you! She’s just a child!”

The Dracoslayer scoffed bitterly at that. “‘Just a child’? How many children do you think lived in that village? How many wives? How many mothers? How many sisters?”

Feeling for its rider’s grief, the Kirin hung its head down, glistening tears falling from its eyes. Noticing that, Volantis was overcome with sadness…

Up on the surface, a robed figure traversed the dusty ruins of the former New Arcadia on their lonesome, wielding a magical staff in their hand. “Kase, my good friend… I had no idea that Solomon’s death had cost you this much - enough to make you lose faith in humanity…” The wandering figure mused, removing their hood to reveal the face of one William Tarott, former member of The World.

“Had I known, I could have talked you out of starting this pointless war. I can still do my part to help those involved in it, though.” The Hierophant continued, pulling a brown card out of his long sleeve. “I shall use up my very life-force to fuel this Forbidden Spell… Spellbook of Judgement, activate!”

The ground shook with unparalleled intensity, as a massive structure unearthed itself smack dab in the middle of Endgame; A huge skyscraper with giant, steel ribbons draped around its conical shape. It was so tall, its pointy top peeked through the gaping chasm that separated the subterranean city from the rest of the world.

“The Tower, huh? Not a bad choice…” William dropped to his knees, all color gone from his stoic countenance. “My time is up… The rest is up to you, Spellcaster from the days of yore… Bring an end to conflict with your oppressive gaze.” He collapsed.

From darkness and nothingness, one thousand eyes opened at once, groggily adjusting to their surroundings after a millennium-long slumber. Amidst them, an unblinking, modified Eye of Wdjat shone with golden light, illuminating a truly hideous being…


	16. Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tower has appeared in Endgame, making the balance of power shift.

The Dracoslayer stared bewilderedly at the mysterious structure that had appeared in the middle of the underground city. “The Grand Spellbook Tower? But how… Argh…” The dragon knight grunted weakly, their legs giving out and their grip on Jovie’s arm loosening, allowing the girl to escape. “What is happening to me…” They muttered, collapsing on one knee.

Hans looked at the Dracoslayer’s steed, the Kirin, who had also toppled down in a drained state. “They’re both affected. Could it be…”

A resounding, blunt sound interrupted the former janitor’s musings, as Mortimer slammed his trusty frying pan into the back of the draconic Duel Spirit’s head, who promptly fell flat on their face. “Do you feel that pain?! It hurts, doesn’t it?!” The Toon user furiously yelled.

“Morty…” Volantis frowned, feeling his own body getting weaker. The sword of light that he held in his hand flickered in and out of existence, until it vanished.

“This is nothing compared to the pain Rocky and Alex felt! The pain Jovie’s parents felt! The pain all those people in all those cities felt!” Mortimer continued to bash the defenseless knight with his cooking vessel, tears running from his eyes that were nonetheless burning with a profound rage. “Unlike you monsters, they can’t come back from the graveyard! How many more deaths will it take, before you drill it into your stupid head that your actions hurt us far more than we can hurt you?! Idiot! Jerk! Moron! Nitwit! Numbskull! Nincompoop!”

“STOP!!” A high-pitched, heart-wrenching scream filled the air, as a crying Jovie hugged the man’s leg tightly. “No more shouting and hurting each other! No more! No more!”

The former hobo was at a loss for words, his arms shaking, before falling to his sides. “Jovie… I’m so sorry…” He finally uttered, kneeling down and embracing the poor child.

“We need to get moving.” Hans said, trying in vain to start up his bike’s engine, only to confirm that it had been broken beyond repair. “Whatever that Tower is and however it got here, I think it has an effect on Duel Spirits, draining their strength.” He theorized.

“I think you’re right…” Volantis nodded, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. “I can’t hear Virgo’s voice at all… She must be affected by this too.”

“It’s not the Tower itself…” The Dracoslayer wheezed, being unable to move in their beat up state. “I can sense it… There is something within… Something ancient and horrible.”

Mortimer furrowed his brow. “Shut up. We don’t need your input.”

“If the scary monsters can’t move, does that mean we can leave and they won’t try to catch us?” Jovie innocently asked, her eyes swollen from all her crying.

Hans shook his head. “Not yet… If this is affecting all Duel Spirits, then Goldriver might be in danger. We have to find where he landed.”

The advent of the Tower had shifted the balance of power in Endgame dramatically. It was now the humans that were doing all the rioting and assaulting, while the Duel Spirits were left with virtually no means of defending themselves from their wrath. Many of them fell victim to angry mobs of humans who wanted payback for all the grief that they had caused.

“How do you like that, you stinky rat!” A livid thug relentlessly kicked down a helpless Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. “This is for putting those shock collars on me and my homies!”

“I’ve got an idea! Let’s get the car battery out and see how he likes being electrocuted!” Another thug proposed, to which his allies responded with approving cheers.

“Victory is ours!” Yet another man roared, raising his fist in the air. “Let’s take over the Duel Spirit district while they all can’t fight! Endgame belongs to the Draconian Dignitary!”

Not too far from him, the Dignitary’s own bodyguards had surrounded an armored figure, whom they bludgeoned repeatedly with steel pipes and baseball bats.

“You have been a thorn in my side for a long time, Visage.” Henry confidently walked towards them, brandishing a steel pipe of his own. “I have to admit you almost had us on the ropes. That Tower must have truly been a gift from fate! See, I couldn’t care less what the citizens do to all your Duel Spirit friends. But you… You I need to personally make an example of!”

Visage was hit once, causing their suit’s voice modulator to break and them to let out a sharp, feminine-sounding cry. The pipe collided a second time with Visage’s head, knocking their helmet off to reveal what was unmistakably the face of a short-haired, Asian woman.

The Crawford heir raised an intrigued eyebrow. “Oh? Now that’s a surprise! The big bad Visage was actually a girl!” He smiled lecherously, crouching down and cupping the woman’s chin. “On second thought, I won’t kill you. Maybe I’ll just keep you as a trophy…”

“Let her go now!” The hard surface of Mortimer’s trusty frying pan was pointed inches away from the raven-haired youth’s head. Volantis and Hans stood behind him with their respective Duel Disks raised, while Jovie looked at them worriedly.

Despite Henry’s bodyguards looking tense and ready to spring into action, the young mafioso himself remained remarkably calm. “You wouldn’t dare hit me.” He simply said.

“Try me! I’ve had a really bad week. I wouldn’t put it past me to ruin your gorgeous face.” The Toon user stared fiercely at him, his grip tightening around his signature weapon.

After a long and arduous staring contest, the Infernoid Duelist finally acquiesced, grinning widely. “She’s not worth having my face ruined… Come on, boys. We have a city to reclaim.” He began to walk away, motioning for his henchmen to follow. Before leaving the area, he spared one last glance at the frying pan-wielding madman. “Mortimer Williams the Third… I can see now that I underestimated you. It astounded me how the son of Elias Williams could be such a bumbling buffoon, but there was clearly more to you than meets the eye…”

After Henry was gone, Hans slapped Mortimer’s back heartily. “That was a quality death stare, kid! You even scared me for a second!” He chuckled.

“Heh. To be honest, I didn’t know if it would actually work!” The former hobo chuckled in turn.

“Guys, what about Visage?” Volantis pointed at the beat up woman.

“My secret’s out… You can just call me Jay.” The woman spoke, painfully forcing her battered form to stand back up. “Thanks for saving me back there. It really means a lot to me…”

“Do you need help, Miss?” Jovie ran up to her.

“Don’t worry about me… Seriously, don’t.” Jay replied, turning around and walking away from them with a limp. “I have somewhere I need to go… Something I must do at all costs.”

“It’s okay, Jovie… If she wants to leave, that’s her choice.” Volantis patted the little girl’s head.

“By the way, Volantis, how are you holding up?” Mortimer asked him.

“I do feel a bit woozy, but I can manage…” The Constellar Duelist replied.

“I can sense Goldriver’s aura somewhere…” Hans placed a hand on his temple. “He is safe for now. He must have secured a hiding place. Hang in there, partner…” He muttered under his breath. “The sooner we find him and get out of Endgame, the better.”

“Wait, what if leaving isn’t the best idea?” Mortimer suggested, much to everyone’s confusion. “Hear me out. Henry called the Tower a ‘gift from fate’ earlier. What if he was right? We’ll still have to find Sucy and Jax, and defeat them, won’t we? What if the secret to beating them is inside that Tower?”

“The secret to beating the Evilswarm…” The leader of Team Light rubbed his chin. “If the Tower has an effect on Virgo, then it surely would have an effect on the Evilswarm too. We have no clue what dangers might lie inside, but it’s worth checking out for that fact alone.”

“If Uncle Morty and Mister Volantis go, then I’ll go too!” Jovie stated with a resolute pout.

“I’ll have to save you from danger a third time, won’t I? You kids and your crazy plans…” Hans shook his head, smiling regardless. “Alright, I’m in! Let’s get to that darn Tower!”

The entrance to the Tower - strangely enough - was gaping open and completely unguarded, as if the structure was welcoming any would-be invaders to enter it. And yet, nobody around the area seemed willing to even entertain such a thought, either being too afraid, or too caught up in their own feud to care. This allowed Team Light and their honorary new member, Hans, to sneak in without being noticed amidst the chaos.

The Tower’s elaborate interior architecture greeted them upon entry, being very much reminiscent of a bygone time before the advent of modern technology - a time of fantasy, arcane magic, knights, dragons and sorcerers. Marble statues depicting various robed figures lined the walls - old heroes that had once walked in these ancient halls - while thick, stone pillars adorned with occult symbols supported the ceiling.

That was just the lobby, though. After climbing a crystal staircase that seemingly went on forever, Volantis and his friends found the next room to be a library, which was more like a maze of towering bookcases. That was where they finally stopped to catch their breaths.

“There’s more stairs up ahead… We still have a long way to go…” The blue-haired youth panted in-between words, hunching down and placing his hands on his kneecaps.

“You need a break, huh? I can’t blame you. Walking up those stairs took a lot out of me too.” Mortimer said, while stretching his lanky legs.

Volantis shook his head. “It’s not climbing the stairs that’s the issue… The closer we get to the top, the weaker my body feels.” He explained.

“Do you want us to turn back, or…” Hans suggested, only for the Constellar Duelist to cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

“It can’t be helped, we have to see this through… I’ll just learn to tolerate this pain.”

“You won’t see anything through. Not if I can help it…” A familiar figure revealed itself, approaching them slowly and glaring at them with glowing, green eyes.

The Toon user gasped in shock. “Jax?! W-what are you doing here of all places?!” He quickly regained his cool and stroked his own mustache, while humming in deep thought. “Hmm, I think I know what’s going on… This must be an illusion created by the Tower. It’s showing us our worst fears! Any minute now, my father is gonna show up and tell me how much he hates my guts!” The disowned Williams scion theorized.

“I am no illusion.” Jax’s lips formed an annoyed frown. “I arrived at Endgame, because that place is pivotal to the final phase of our plan. And what did I find? This infernal structure, and you meandering in it! This was NOT part of the plan!” He snarled, causing one of the giant bookcases to tip over and start falling towards the group.

“Volantis, Mortimer!” Hans shouted, throwing his arms forward and causing the bookcase to stop mid-fall before it could crush them. His eyes were glowing a similar green hue as Jax’s own. “Yep, he’s definitely the real deal! You three go to the stairs! I’ll keep him busy!”

“We can’t leave you behind!” The former hobo objected.

“JUST GO! And don’t look back!” Hans roared at them, before thrusting his palms forward, making the bookcase fall to the opposite side, crushing no-one.

Mortimer bit his lower lip, grabbing Jovie’s hand, while pulling a weakened Volantis’ arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight. “C’mon, guys, we have to run! We have to get all the way to the top!” He declared resolutely.

“I’m almost out of its range…” An exhausted Jay muttered to herself, having escaped the chaos of Endgame and trudged all the way to the former New Arcadia’s boundaries, where the road ended and a vast desert began. After one more step, she finally collapsed on her knees, crying tears of relief. “I’ve made it!”

Slowly but surely, her broken and battered body regained its lost vitality, her internal wounds healing and her high-tech armor restoring itself to a functional state. Having been freed from the Tower’s influence, the human-Duel Spirit hybrid stretched her mechanical wings and launched herself into the air!

“Like I said, I have something I must do! This war must end, and only I can make that happen!” Jay yelled loudly as she pierced through the clouds, winds roaring around her aerodynamic form.

“Kase Heiji, I’m coming for you!”


	17. Origin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Light continue to climb up the Tower, while Hans confronts Jax.

A deep scowl permeated Jax’s countenance as he watched the members of Team Light running up the staircase. “Why do you go to such lengths to protect those insignificant players?” He asked, focusing his hardened, verdant gaze on Hans.

“Because, in my vision of the future, the world is saved by a group of young people that everyone looked down on.” The former janitor unflinchingly stared back at him.

“Hmph. Clairvoyance, the most useless of extrasensory abilities…” The Psychic Duelist harrumphed. “Your brief glimpses into an uncertain future pale in comparison to my sheer analytical skills. And yet, even when I’ve mapped everything out perfectly and accounted for every possible outcome, I am still susceptible to the random whims of fate.” He bared his pearly white teeth, his eyes opening as widely as they could, and an ugly vein pulsating on his forehead. “Why is this blasted Tower here?! Who willed this?! What sense does it make?!” He roared with manic fury, the bookcases surrounding him shaking from the irrepressible telekinetic energy that leaked from every pore of his body.

Hans gave him a look of genuine pity. “To think you had so much anger inside… I feel for you, Jax, I truly do. You and I are not that different, after all…”

“We are both espers. That’s where our similarities end.” The other man curtly stated.

“No, there’s more to that, and you know it. These powers we were born with are both a blessing and a curse…” Hans’ tone was sorrowful, but also mellow. “We were both taken to the same awful facility when we were young. We were both put through the same cruel experiments that no child should have to go through. We are connected through our shared origin, as if bound by the red thread of fate. That’s why it’s so unfortunate that we have to be enemies, Jax… because nobody understands your pain better than I do.”

“‘Pain’?” The man’s lips curved into a dark smile. “You seem to have misunderstood how drastically different our situations were, poor Hans. What you refer to as ‘cruel experiments’ were simply part of my training regimen. What you don’t know is that there were actually two separate groups of children raised in that camp.” Jax reached into one of his coat’s pockets, pulling out an old monster card named ‘Psychic Commander’. “The children in YOUR batch were groomed to be the serving class… while WE were groomed to be the masters!”

To his horror, Hans suddenly lost any real agency over his own body, since Jax lifted him in the air with his superior telekinesis and tossed him around like a ragdoll. “GAH!” The Metalfoes Duelist painfully yelled, feeling his body breaking internally more and more with each heavy piece of furniture Jax willed it to collide with next.

“Now that you’re aware of the unbridgeable gap that exists between us, know that the vision you saw will never come true. I’ll make sure that it doesn’t.” Jax stated, while towering over his badly beaten foe.

Hans weakly lifted his head off the floor, grinning ever so slightly. “You’re just upset because, despite all your power, clairvoyance is the one ability you lack. Not that it matters… Someone as conceited as you could never make proper use of it, because you’d refuse to accept that a power higher than yours is dictating your actions!”

“You would do well to SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” The superior psychic barked at him, using his telekinetic abilities to brutally slam the man’s face against the floor. “The only reason you’re speaking so boldly is because you know you’re about to die!”

“Actually, I was just… trying to get you mad…” Hans groaned in pain, struggling to even speak by that point. “Mad enough to not see what’s coming…”

All of a sudden, the roar of a mighty engine resounded, followed by the sight of a gleaming, golden buggy floating in the air - a sight that made Jax’s pupils constrict. “A Duel Spirit? Impossible! How were you able to even move inside the Tower?!”

“Don’t get me wrong, this is abnormally painful…” Metalfoes Goldriver grunted, revving up his engine while in mid-air. “But, the trick about pain is that it’s all in the mind!” He declared, jumping off his own buggy, which in turn crashed into the unprepared Psychic Duelist, breaking the wall behind him to smithereens and sending him flying outside!

“Verfluche dich!” Jax yelled, helplessly flailing his limbs as he fell from several storeys high, into an obscuring cloud of dust below.

“We did it…” An incredibly fatigued Hans crawled towards the nearest bookcase, leaning his head and part of his back against it. “Now it’s up to them to make that vision come true…”

“Indeed… It’s up to them.” An equally fatigued Goldriver nodded, sitting next to him.

“I think I’ll just rest here for a little while…” The former janitor said. His vision blurred, yet a serene smile graced his bloodied face. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, partner…”

“Geez, how many freaking stairs does this Tower have?” Mortimer whined, all the while carrying a very limp Volantis up the same repetitive flight of stairs he so effervescently despised - a task made all the more difficult by the fact his scrawny body wasn’t accustomed to that amount of physical activity.

“You can do it, Uncle Morty, we’re almost there!” Jovie said, while following directly behind them. “You’ll carry Mister Volantis all the way to the top and then everything will be okay!”

Jovie’s encouraging words helped the mustachioed Toon user find the strength in him for one last stretch while carrying his friend’s essentially dead weight. Upon reaching the Tower’s final floor at long last, they were greeted with a petrifying sight…

The poorly-lit chamber housed a grotesque, hideous creature that looked eerily unnatural and alien. Countless groggy-looking eyes adorned its weirdly-shaped body, most notable of which was a modified Eye of Wdjat made of gold that was attached to a writhing, tentacle-like appendage that sprouted above its circular, teeth-filled, starfish-like mouth. Its fleshy wings and beefy arms appeared to be restrained by chains of a fiendish design.

“Is that a Duel Spirit…? It must be the origin of the Tower’s power…” Volantis weakly mused, trying to move on his own, only to fail and wind up sprawling on the floor.

“V-Volantis! Are you okay?” Morty stammered, helping the crippled youth sit up and lean against the wall.

“I’m fine, I just… can’t move…”

Noticing the humans’ presence, the many-eyed abomination spoke to them in a deep, reverberating voice that sounded as if it came from everywhere in the room at once. _“Long before the two goddesses of rebirth and destruction gained awareness, long before immortal dragons ruled the elements, long before the age of black vultures and infernal fiends, long before the age of banishment and chaos, there was a time of antiquity. A time when the Forbidden Spells were rampant and only the skilled survived. In that time, they called me the Thousand-Eyes Restrict, for no Duel Spirit could escape my oppressive gaze.”_

“Alright, Mr. Restrict, here’s the deal!” The disgraced Williams scion stepped forward and stared directly into the creature’s unblinking, golden eye. “We’re Team Light, and your ability to suck Duel Spirits’ powers dry might be of use to us! So you’re gonna help us, unless you wanna get one thousand black eyes!” He rolled up his sleeves and waved his white-gloved fists in front of the eye.

 _“Do not presume that you can threaten me simply because I am restrained.”_ The Thousand-Eyes Restrict sternly replied, its ghastly chains rattling noisily.

“This monster is scary… I don’t like being here.” Jovie squirmed, hugging Morty’s leg.

 _“My power is not for the unworthy ones to command, lest disastrous results might occur. The magician who summoned me here on his last breath made that fact abundantly clear. I shall lend my power only to a worthy Duelist.”_ The ancient Duel Spirit continued.

Mortimer’s eyes narrowed “What more will it take for us to prove ourselves? Volantis is almost dying over there!”

_“You may leave anytime you want.”_

“We can’t leave yet! We need that ability of yours in order to beat Sucy!”

_“Your wish is to destroy your enemies then?”_

“She killed our friend!”

_“So it is revenge that you are seeking.”_

“It’s not just that!” Mortimer’s expression hardened even more. “She’s gonna continue hurting people and doing horrible things, unless she is stopped! She’s powerful enough that she can do whatever she wants! If only we could take all that power away, we could then… I dunno, lock her up somewhere? Now, if that’s STILL not good enough of a reason for you, then PLEASE explain why it’s so wrong to not want people to get hurt! But you’ll have to REALLY spell it out for me, because I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, or so I’ve been told!”

Silence fell following his tirade, the Thousand-Eyes Restrict closing all but one of its namesake optic organs, as if contemplating deeply. After several seconds that seemingly lasted longer than they had any right to, its eyes reopened. _“You are indeed worthy.”_

Far away, amidst a large canyon somewhere in the Southern wildlands, Kase Heiji stood atop a tall cliff, overlooking the massive army of Duel Spirits that had congregated there at his orders. Colorful dragons flapped their wings excitedly, armored bears sharpened their claws, while beautiful warrior maidens sang loud praises for their king and their glorious kingdom.

“Soon, we shall bring war to the land of man.” The Heiji monarch declared in a somewhat morose tone, rather than the grandiose and exuberant tone a king would normally use in order to rouse their royal subjects. “Our victory shall be swift and decisive, for no man-made machine can stand against the might of a Duel Spirit. Those that surrender willingly shall be spared, while those that resist shall perish.”

“Your words are the words of a tyrant…” A woman who flew on mechanical wings landed behind him.

Kase turned towards her, giving her a stern look. “What are you doing here, Jean-Louise? If you were hoping to mend our estranged relationship, I’m afraid you have arrived at the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

Jay frowned sadly and shook her head. “It’s too late to fix some things… but it’s not too late for me to try and stop you from making a huge mistake. ‘Cause that’s what this war is - a mistake. And you know it!”

“An unruly child who ran away is in no position to lecture me.”

“Is this what you really want then… Dad?” Jay uttered that word with a tinge of contempt, as well as sorrow.

Kase’s expression softened, but only by a little. “What I wanted, Jean-Louise Heiji, was for you to stay at my side - at the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom, where you belonged. Yet, for reasons that I shall never fathom, you chose to lead your own ragtag group in the very place I swore never to go back to… Regardless, it’s too late for you or anyone else to prevent this war from happening.”

“Your father is right… It IS too late!” A new voice sounded, followed by an eerie, girl-like giggle. “In fact, it’s too late to prevent anything that’s about to happen!”

“You…” The man muttered, as both he and Jay turned to this figure that had just casually announced themselves.

This figure whose obsidian armor didn’t so much as glint under the sunlight, as if its very existence was antithetical to the concept of light. This young woman who looked at them with such confidence, while the wind blew her long, white hair.

Standing before them was none other than Sucillia Nevermore.


	18. Infestation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kase and Jay confront Sucillia, who reveals her terrifying plan.

Kase Heiji narrowed his white, pupil-less eyes, shooting a displeased look at Sucillia, who had appeared out of the blue. “What did you just say, girl?” He asked her.

“I should have been more straightforward, I suppose…” The white-haired woman replied in a coy manner, looking up and placing a dark, scaly finger on her chin. “Perhaps I should have simply said ‘thank you’ for neatly playing into Jax’s hands.”

Kase’s look of displeasure was replaced by one of slight confusion. “Jax? Are you talking about Jax Axonus, Souza’s protege who made the Top 8 in the Unity Cup? What about him?”

“It was his idea to attack that village where all those poor Duel Spirits lived. An idea that I gladly carried out myself.” Sucillia casually revealed, flashing a fanged smirk. “Somehow he knew that would be the thing that finally forced the two races to go to war with one another.”

“That was YOUR doing?!” The man showed his own sharp teeth. His half-dragon blood literally boiled with rage, so much so that the air around him heated up. “To think that I was fooled by two insolent children! Were the attacks on human soil also your doing then?”

“Father, wait!” Jay intervened, her body tensing up as well. “Why is she being so cocky? She had no reason to up and admit her guilt like that. Something’s very wrong here…”

“She is indeed very cocky if she thinks that she can come here and mock me in front of my entire army!” The Heiji monarch growled.

Sucillia’s smile merely widened. “‘Your army’? Don’t you mean MY army…?”

A cacophony of inhuman shrieks and screeches resounded across the canyon, prompting a horrified Kase to look down and see that his troops had all been enveloped in a sinister, shadowy miasma, which caused their bodies to drastically mutate; Fangs were elongated, claws were sharpened, fur and skin were blackened, while honorable Duel Spirit warriors were corrupted and turned into feral killing machines in a matter of seconds.

“You’re probably about to ask ‘What have you done to them?’” Sucillia cackled hysterically. “I have blessed them with the Virus - the Evilswarm… I would say that, but considering I have become the living embodiment of the Virus, it’s more like I turned them into mere extensions of myself.” She explained, before moving to the edge of the cliff, where she outstretched her armored arm. “Go, my monsters! To the north you will find a city of sinners, known as Endgame! Leave no-one there alive! Eliminate them, eradicate them, and exterminate them!”

“NO, DON’T!” Heiji desperately tried to prevent the infected army from marching off, but they were too far gone to listen to his orders anymore.

“Do you have any idea how many people live in Endgame?!” A livid Jay yelled.

The former Unity Champion glared at the white-haired woman, ready to tear her limb from limb in his rage. “This isn’t a game, Sucillia!” He roared.

The Nevermore heiress pouted. “Sucillia is such a dull name… I need a name that matches the new evolutionary height that I have achieved.” Her desire for evolution evidently resonated with her black armor, which expanded further, covering every remaining inch of her body, until even her face was hidden behind a fearsome, insect-like mask, with two horns on the head shaped like stag beetle pincers.

“From now on, you will refer to me as Evilswarm Umbra - an existence that has surpassed both humanity and Duel Spirit-kind!” The fully armored woman proclaimed in a reverberating voice, a sea of colors staring back at them from within the single orb that had replaced her eyes. “And I’m not treating this like a game in the slightest. I have never taken anything more seriously in my life. Jax’s instructions were crystal clear… ‘For salvation to come, the world must first learn the true meaning of fear.’ I AM that fear! The world shall know me, suffer in my hands, and finally be saved on the Promised D--”

“I’ve had enough of you running your mouth!” Her speech was interrupted by a heat-seeking missile being fired against her, forcing the newly renamed Umbra to narrowly dodge it by jumping to the side. The missile turned in mid-air and flew back towards her, but by that time the Nevermore heiress was prepared, willing the armor parts covering her right arm to transform into a nightmarish sword, which she used to slice the flying projectile in half.

“She is quite powerful.” Kase mused, stretching the fluorescent, emerald wings on his back. “If she truly embodies the same Virus that has infected my troops and made them lose their sanity, then destroying her should bring them back to normal. Either way, she is too dangerous to be left alone to her devices. If she is not defeated quickly enough, Endgame might be doomed…”

“We have to take her out! Looks like we have no choice but to work together on this, Dad.” His estranged daughter noted, getting into a combat-ready stance as well.

Evilswarm Umbra’s cyclopean eye shone. “Finally, something resembling a challenge!”

“Whew! That was quite the challenge, but Team Light prevailed in the end!” Mortimer jovially remarked, while walking down the Tower’s staircase with quite the flamboyant strut.

“That monster with the many eyes sure was scary!” Jovie said, meekly following after him.

“Well, he’s not so scary now that he’s on our side, is he?” The former hobo snickered, holding up a Fusion monster card. The artwork of the Thousand-Eyes Restrict on it looked so lifelike, it could practically leap off the cardboard. “I wonder how we’re supposed to use this, though. Do we slap it into a Duel Disk like a regular card, or… Oh well, I guess we’ll figure it out when the time comes!” He shrugged haphazardly, shoving the card into his pocket.

“All I know is that it sure feels good to be back to my old self!” A rather lively Volantis stretched his arms over his head, looking in much better shape than before. “Though I do kinda miss being carried around. Do you think you could do that again?” He jokingly added.

“The Mortimer Williams Public Transportation Services don’t come cheap, you know. Now that you can walk again, you’ll have to use your own darn legs!” Morty quipped back.

The muffled noises of an intense struggle interrupted their friendly, carefree banter, prompting them to run up to the nearest window and take a peek outside…

Thanks to the Tower no longer having an influence over the supernatural populace, the brutal turf war between the human and Duel Spirit factions of Endgame was back in full swing! The casualties that both sides had suffered only added more fuel to the fire, perpetuating the cruel cycle of violence and retribution, to the point their skirmish had turned an already broken city into a burning, chaotic hellscape.

“Time to bring out the big guns!” A burly street thug shouted, perching a grenade launcher on his shoulder and firing from it. “Hail the Draconian Dignitary!”

A mechanical Duel Spirit on the opposite side blocked the projectile with its steel body, shrugging the damage off as if it was nothing. “Your puny explosives are no match for a Superheavy Samurai’s steadfast defense!” The sentient automaton boasted.

“Look out! It’s Tierra’s wrath!” A three-eyed, brown ball of fur cried out, pointing at another barrage of giant fireballs that were cast from the heavily-barricaded Colosseum.

“Action denied! Infinite Impermanence!” A large, mechanical dragon whose serpentine body was made of equal parts black and white metal alloy summoned a powerful electrical storm that reduced the incoming fireballs to nothing.

“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!” Some humans began yelling.

Witnessing such an unsightly spectacle, Volantis frowned. “Looks like we celebrated too quickly… We may have solved the problem directly caused by the Tower, but the war in Endgame isn’t going to just stop on its own.”

“Darn it all to heck!” Mortimer cursed, staring angrily outside the window. “It’s like we’re back to square one! Not a single thing has changed!”

“What’s going on out there? I can’t see!” Jovie tried fruitlessly to reach a window that was too high up for her. “Mister Volantis, can you put me up on your shoulders?” She requested.

“Not now, Jovie. Stay quiet.” The Constellar Duelist gently pushed the girl away from it.

“What do we do now?” Morty began to sweat. “If we get out there, we’ll get pulverized! If we stay here and wait for this whole stupid thing to blow over, we risk running into Jax again!”

The blue-haired youth looked down dejectedly. “I honestly don’t know…”

“Take this! Brave Claw Revolution!” An airborne Jay yelled, firing a ruthless salvo of heat-seeking missiles from her mechanical wings.

Sucillia - or rather Evilswarm Umbra - gracefully backflipped out of the projectiles’ way, taking superhuman leaps from one pillar-esque rock formation to another. Upon landing, she would immediately turn on her heel and launch multiple orbs of shadowy energy from her black, scaly hand, hitting each of the missiles and making them explode in the air.

“Darn it, she’s fast!” The human-Duel Spirit hybrid cursed through her teeth.

“Your constant flying around is annoying… Do me a favor and clip your own wings for me!” Umbra shot a massive beam of rainbow light from the single eye on her mask.

“Jean-Louise, watch out!” Kase quickly positioned himself in front of his daughter, intercepting the attack and deflecting it back towards its sender. “Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah… thanks.” Jay nodded in gratitude. “She’s tough, but we can become tougher! It’s time for me to Rank-Up!” She declared, as her wings were bathed in light, transforming into eight long blades made of gold that glistened under the sunlight.

“In that case, Clear Wing should evolve as well!” A beautiful, crystalline coat covered the Heiji monarch’s own wings, making them sparkle like diamonds.

Umbra emerged from a cloud of dust created by her own deflected attack, looking unscathed, save for a few scratches and minor dents on her obsidian armor. “What are you planning?” She hissed at them behind her mask, the eye-like orb on it turning golden, as she prepared to fire another of her beams.

Kase and Jay exchanged a meaningful look, smiling at one another for the first time. They joined their hands together and flew upwards, getting a clear shot at Umbra, whereupon they roared the names of their respective signature attacks.

“CRYSTALLOS EDGE OF GALE!”

“FINAL GLORIOUS BRIGHT!”

A brilliant explosion of power that was visible from miles away engulfed the whole canyon.

The earth rumbled, rocks falling from the ceiling of the massive cavern in which Endgame had been built. A sea of thousands of monstrous, feral-looking creatures crawled through the large fissure that linked the subterranean city to the surface world, emitting highly distorted hisses and shrieks that filled the hearts of all who heard them with unspeakable terror. Like a swarm of roaches crawling into a crevice, but infinitely more devastating, this was the biggest infestation of deadly pests the world had ever seen.

Henry observed that horrendous scene from one of the Colosseum’s windows. “Did the Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom send reinforcements?” The raven-haired youth pondered aloud.

 _“Thessse are no longer regular Duel Spiritsss… They have become pawnsss of the Evilswarm.”_ Infernoid Tierra’s spectral form coiled around his arm, like a pet snake.

“Evilswarm, huh? I guess that means our friend Sucillia is somehow involved.” The Crawford heir mused, squinting his azure-colored eyes. “As if this pointless war wasn’t already enough of a pain, now we have THAT to deal with!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! There’s more of them?!” One of Endgame’s delinquents stared at the approaching Evilswarm horde with a terrified expression.

“Curse you, Heiji’s dogs! No matter how many reinforcements you bring, we’ll never surrender!” Another man shouted, angrily shaking his fist.

“‘Reinforcements’? W-what are you talking about?” One of the more humanoid Duel Spirits blurted out, staring dumbfoundedly at the new army that had appeared out of nowhere. “We have nothing to do with this! We’re as confused as you are!”

“Yeah, right! You freaks were probably just waiting for the chance to destroy Arcadia for a third time!” The man pointed an accusatory finger at them.

“Watch your tongue, scoundrel!” A bulky knight in gem-encrusted armor pointed their mineral finger back at him. “Arcadia’s destruction both times was brought about by human hubris! For all we know, this could be your species’ doing as well!”

“ENOUGH!!” A roaring pillar of cerulean flame erupted between the two bickering factions. Henry emerged out of it, eager to chastise both sides. “Can’t you see that we’re clearly dealing with a third party here?! The Evilswarm have not come here to take sides in your interspecies squabble. They have come here to slaughter everyone equally! I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna do everything possible to survive! If you’re smart, you’ll manage to put your petty disputes aside and defend your city! Not because of any saccharine nonsense that Souza and his cronies preached, like ‘Unity’, or holding hands and singing Kumbaya. But because looking at the bigger picture is a part of being an intelligent life-form!”

The Draconian Dignitary’s speech left the two opposing mobs stunned. Many of them exchanged worried looks of uncertainty, while others still looked at each other with some distrust. After much quiet murmuring and dallying about, the Gem-Knight from earlier decided to take the initiative, stepping forward and raising their rugged fist in the air. “For Endgame!”

“FOR ENDGAME!” Everyone chanted in unison, humans and Duel Spirits joining sides and marching against their common enemy.

Amidst the whole ruckus, Henry approached a group of his own henchmen, talking to them in confidence. “Tell our boys to get the Arcadian relics from the warehouse. Something tells me that we might need them soon…”

Volantis gazed outside one of the Tower’s windows with a horrified expression. “It’s the Evilswarm… Argh…” He groaned in pain, toppling to the floor and clutching his ribs.

“V-Volantis, what happened?” Mortimer worriedly kneeled next to him. “Did your wound open up?” He wondered aloud, pulling the youth’s shirt up and carefully removing the bloodstained bandages to reveal quite the gruesome sight; The wound left there by Sucillia’s blade had turned pitch-black, and the blackness slowly but surely spread to the rest of his torso.

“What’s wrong with Mister Volantis?” A very concerned Jovie inquired.

“Morty, Jovie…” The Constellar Duelist struggled to say their names, his eyes glowing faintly in a blood-red hue. “I can’t contain her anymore… Run!”

“No way… L-look out!” The Toon user yelped, pushing Jovie out of the way, just as a seemingly out-of-control Volantis tried to lop her head off with a shadowy sword.

“What’s happening?!” The little girl cried.

“We need to skedaddle, Jovie!” Morty grabbed her hand in a state of panic. “If there’s ever been a time to run really, really fast, this is that time!”

Atop one of Endgame’s run-down rooftops, a certain tall man calmly observed the chaos that ensued in the city. “In the end, everything falls into place, as it should. That inferior esper and his trickery cost me much precious time, though.” Jax painfully clutched his left arm, which appeared to have been broken. “However, my fractured bones are of little consequence. The only thing valuable to me is my own mind, and that is unbreakable.”

The Psychic Duelist lumbered towards a cloth bag lying nearby, leaning down and opening it slowly. “Sucillia will fulfill her task, Father. Of that I am absolutely certain. Her role is extremely important to the master plan, after all. Which means…”

Jax pulled a large, cylindrical jar out of the bag. Inside the jar, floating in liquid ooze, was the severed head of a man who - against all odds - could still breathe and blink.

“It is time to make our move, Lord Souza!”


	19. Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jax unveils the final piece of his master plan.

“Gamma, Epsilon, to me!” A pair of robotic heads appeared before Jax, joining their complementary parts together to form a golden, scooter-like apparatus that the Psychic Duelist used to leave Endgame and take off to the skies, moving at blinding speed. Fueled by his own abundant extrasensory energy, his makeshift ride went through the clouds and reached all the way to the stratosphere, where he met face to face with a huge, blazing sun.

“Alpha, Beta, Delta, to me!” Additional cybernetic parts wrapped the man’s entire form, starting with a white mask with drill-shaped protrusions extending from either side, spike-covered shoulder pads, an oversized belt buckle, and a pair of clawed gauntlets linked together by a bow-shaped adornment that loomed over his head. His body was then bathed in emerald light, seemingly healing his injuries at a ridiculously accelerated rate.

“Since ancient times, espers have gazed into the sun to enhance their psychic abilities!” The newly blinged-out Jax exclaimed, raising the jar containing Souza’s head in front of him. “With its radiant power, in addition to the power contained within Lord Souza himself, I will now create the PSY-Frame Circuit!”

The jar was illuminated from within, leaving Jax’s hands and floating in the air of its own volition. Dozens of light rays radiated from it, extending for miles in all directions, multiplying and splitting apart into hundreds of siblings and cousins. Eventually they formed an elaborate, neon green web that overlaid itself with the clouds - like a gigantic motherboard in the sky.

“Oh yes, I can feel the power! It’s comparable to that of a Forbidden Spell! My mind is expanding! I can hear them! I can see them! I can see EVERYTHING! I can harness their thoughts and use that energy as I see fit!” An elated and ecstatic Jax raved, electricity crackling around his immensely powered-up form.

Having become for all intents and purposes a higher-order life-form, he had gained the ability to simultaneously read the thoughts of every living being on the Northern Hemisphere, all of whom were collectively staring at his mysterious, skybound construct with a mixture of concern and bewilderment.

_“Look up at the sky!”_   
_“It kinda looks like an aurora.”_   
_“What the hell is that?”_

The eyes on Jax’s mask shone brightly. “No, not Hell… HEAVEN!!”

“Such nuisances…” The sound of panting could be heard behind Umbra’s mask. She stood on top of a rock pillar with her shoulders hunched, signs of fatigue written all over her armor-clad body. “To think that they managed to give me this much trouble, when they shouldn’t have been able to even touch me… It doesn’t matter anymore, I suppose. In the end, they fell, just like everything else shall fall.” The Evilswarm avatar mused, glancing at two smoking craters on the ground below her.

Umbra’s head jerked upwards, the cracked orb on her mask showing a distorted reflection of the sky above, where Jax’s Heaven had just begun to take form. “The master plan has entered its final phase. That means I should get into position as well…”

A shadow that was beyond gargantuan loomed above the armored woman, a very long, black-scaled tail being lowered towards her, which the Nevermore heiress clinged to with a tight grip. “Let us fly, my final dragon! To Endgame!” She decreed.

“Oh no, no, no, no!” A panicked Mortimer scurried down the Tower’s last flight of stairs, getting back to the lobby where their perilous climb of the structure had originally started.

“Uncle Morty, what’s going on? Why is Mister Volantis trying to hurt us?” Jovie cried, all the while being dragged by the hand.

“EXTERMINATE!” A gargled roar echoed throughout the room, as a feral-looking Volantis leaped off the top of the staircase and landed in front of them, blocking their path. He had a vicious, bloodthirsty look in his red eyes, while his sword that had once looked like a literal beacon of light was now tainted with shadows.

“Volantis, please, you’ve gotta snap out of it!” Morty begged him. “Don’t you remember all the fun times we’ve had? Okay, we’ve mostly had bad times as of late - but darn it, the ones that were good were really good!”

His words evidently fell on deaf ears, since the infected Volantis lumbered ever closer, foaming from the mouth and growling more like an animal than a human being.

“Stay back! I’m warning you!” The mustachioed man shuffled through his own pockets, accidentally dropping a certain card to the floor in the process. He eventually found his trusty frying pan, which he brandished in front of him. “I really don’t wanna hurt you, buddy!”

Volantis responded to his paltry threat by effortlessly slicing his cooking tool in half, before shoving him out of the way and moving towards a crying, defenseless Jovie, raising his shadowy sword above his head with murderous intent.

“Don’t you dare- JOVIE!” Mortimer screamed in horror.

As soon as Volantis stepped on the Thousand-Eyes Restrict card, a roaring whirlwind enveloped him, keeping his feet firmly rooted to the ground. A spectre-like, feminine figure detached itself from his body, resembling a Constellar monster, but sporting a color scheme more like the Evilswarm. The female Duel Spirit flailed hopelessly, slowly being sucked into the Fusion monster card, until any trace of her was gone.

“Morty, I’m so sorry…” A very woozy Volantis lost his footing, falling into his friend’s arms, who managed to scoop him up at the last second. “I got careless and didn’t realize that Virgo had been infected with Sucillia’s dreadful Virus…”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. The important thing is that you’re back to normal. Everything will be fine now…” The Toon user cried tears of relief.

“No, it won’t be…” The blue-haired youth objected with a gloomy expression. “It was Virgo who saved me back when I was young and fated to die… Now that Virgo is gone, I think my frail health has finally caught up with me…” His eyelids started closing.

“No… Volantis, don’t go! Stay with me!” Morty shook him desperately. “We’ll find a doctor! We’ll find all the doctors! We’ll get you fixed up! I can’t afford to lose another friend…”

The Constellar Duelist mustered what little strength he had to smile warmly at him. “To answer your question, the time we spent together was… the most fun I’ve ever had…”

His eyes closed and his head drooped to the side. Mortimer was left wordlessly cradling a cold, unmoving body in his arms. A deep frown permeated his countenance, while his eyes were shrouded in darkness and streams of tears cascaded down his cheeks.

“Wake up, Mister Volantis… Please, wake up!” Jovie bawled her eyes out, clutching the eternally sleeping youth’s hand. “Why won’t you wake up…” As her young, innocent mind came to terms with a very harsh reality, she continued to weep quietly.

Meanwhile, the denizens of Endgame fought valiantly against the Evilswarm forces that had invaded their dysfunctional little town, even when it was becoming clear that they were egregiously outnumbered. The humans had armed themselves with automatic guns and other heavy artillery, barely keeping the black beasts at bay by firing repeated salvos at them.

“Amateurs! This is how a true gunslinger rolls!” A slim figure clad in armor reminiscent of Japanese superhero shows boasted, twirling a weapon that looked like a mix between a knife and a revolver in their hand. “Igknights, unite!” They were joined by similar armor-clad figures, as they all opened fire at the corrupted Duel Spirits and riddled them with bullet holes.

“Look, it’s the Dracoslayer!” One of the Igknights pointed upwards.

Indeed, riding on the Kirin’s back, the Dracoslayer swooped into the battlefield, swinging their sword in such a way as to generate mighty gusts of wind that pushed the Evilswarm back. “I lost sight of chivalry once. It shall never happen again! Keep on fighting the good fight! Don’t give in to your fear!” The draconic knight motivated Endgame’s ragtag troops, before flying off to vanquish even more foes.

“Youse must’ve thought we’d go down without a fight, huh? Lemme show what I can do!” Neo-Spacian Grand Mole exclaimed, speedily rotating its chubby body, until it looked like a spinning drill that crashed against one of the vile monstrosities, sending them both flying in opposite directions. “This was a poor cho-o-o-oice!” The oversized rodent wailed in mid-air.

A fiery explosion incinerated dozens of Evilswarm abominations within its radius, Henry casually emerging out of the flames and dusting off his unblemished red suit. “There’s no end to them. It won’t be long before the people overexert themselves and they can start picking us off one by one.” The young mafioso fretted, while a ghost-like Tierra orbited around him.

As if the situation wasn’t dire enough, a dark, gigantic silhouette appeared in the underground city, blotting out the sun… A dragon whose exceptionally long tail had a sword-shaped tip. It possessed four devilish horns that were shared among the three writhing, serpentine heads that sprouted from its glacier-like main body, which was covered in black, insectoid scales.

“The final dragon, Evilswarm Ouroboros, descends! Now all your hope has died!” Umbra boomingly proclaimed, standing on top of the dragon’s middle head with seemingly zero regard for gravity or air physics. Flapping its massive, icy wings, her dragon let out an ear-splitting, highly distorted roar that shook Endgame in its entirety.

Henry looked up with wide open eyes. “Oh. My. Goddess…”

“Here comes the harlot who rides the multi-headed beast…” Jax Axonus orated, all the while floating in the middle of his skybound construct.

“The prophet’s words from long ago have become a reality… All we needed was a ‘Babylon’ - a city teeming with deviants and sinners - and for it to be ravaged by the horsemen of war, pestilence and death. Now, once my Heaven has harnessed enough energy, Lord Souza shall become the last horseman! In our darkest hour, Souza shall become God and bestow eternal salvation unto us all!”

The Psychic Duelist arched his back and shook with manic laughter.

“Let us begin by destroying that eyesore of a tower!” Evilswarm Umbra raised a gauntleted hand in front of her and closed it into a powerful fist. The dragon that she rode instantly flew towards the Grand Spellbook Tower, savagely slamming its three heads against its outer wall and whipping it with its long tail, causing huge chunks of debris to rain down.

One could barely make out a pair of small figures running out of the besieged structure, who probably seemed like little more than ants to the Virus’ godlike avatar. “Tch… Those nuisances are still alive?” The sound of tongue-clicking was heard behind Umbra’s mask.

As the Tower began to crumble behind him, Mortimer jumped out of the debris’ way with a long yelp, making sure to shield Jovie with his body. “That was close! Are you alright?”

“Mhm!” The little girl nodded in response, holding onto him tightly.

Umbra’s loyal pet landed near the duo with an earth-shattering impact, allowing its rider to leap down and lumber towards them. “You, foolish clown, should have died a long time ago! Your uncanny ability to survive is really annoying me!” She snarled at the former hobo.

Morty squinted, initially having a hard time recognizing the fully armored figure, at least until he mentally put the pieces together. “Sucy…?” He mumbled in disbelief.

“Don’t call me by that name!” Her cyclopean eye brimmed with incomparable malice. “My name is Evilswarm Umbra! I am fear incarnate! Compared to me, you are nothing!”

The scrawny man glared back at her, his eyes flaring up with justified anger. “Well, MY name is Mortimer Williams the Third, and you’d best remember it! Because I’m gonna keep surviving until all pieces of trash like you get what they deserve!”

“Leave him be, Umbra. I’m the one you should be fighting with.” Henry sauntered into the scene, cracking his fingers in preparation.

The Evilswarm avatar jerked her head towards him. “Heir of Tierra… You’re right. Our battle has been long overdue. It’s about time we find out who the superior Goddess is!”

“To tell you the truth, when we first met, I hoped we could have been allies…” The Crawford heir sighed. “Sadly, your friend Jax beat me to it, no doubt sweet-talking you into doing his bidding. Had you been working by my side instead, we could have done great things here in Endgame.” His expression hardened, a pair of azure will-o’-wisps replacing his eyes. “It’s too late for that now. Mortimer is right… You really have become a piece of trash!”

 _“And trasssh cannot claim to be a Goddessss!”_ A mirage of Infernoid Tierra manifested behind the raven-haired youth. Together, they let loose a massive wave of hellaciously hot fire. Evilswarm Ouroboros intercepted the attack in order to protect its mistress, only for the flames to completely melt the dragon’s skin off and even pulverize its bones!

Even Umbra herself was harmed by the fiery residue, reeling back and clutching her shattered mask. “Kyah! This is nothing! You’ve merely borrowed a fraction of Tierra’s power, while I can wield Sophia’s power as my own!” The Nevermore heiress claimed, part of her actual face being left exposed and staring angrily back at the Infernoid Duelist. She began to generate an orb of light in her left hand, and an orb of darkness in her right one.

“Dignitary, we’ve brought the stuff you ordered!” The voice of one of Henry’s henchmen interrupted their epic showdown, followed by three separate trucks pulling over.

“What is the meaning behind this interference?” Umbra’s eyes narrowed.

The young mob boss smirked smugly. “Just in time! Winning a battle has nothing to do with raw strength, my dear Umbra. It’s all about abusing every dirty trick at your disposal…” He clicked his fingers and the trucks’ hatches opened. Three statues were unveiled, depicting androgynous demons that wore majestic capes.

“N-no way… my strength…” The woman keeled over in a seemingly powerless state.

Mortimer peered at the mystical statues with a puzzled look. “What are those?”

“Pandeity’s final words come to mind right about now… ‘The World may live on, but one day they will fall to their own vanity.’” Henry took his sweet time explaining. “It turned out that some of Solomon Scardigne’s old toys that had been buried under the ground for over 20 years were unearthed thanks to the Five-Headed Dragon’s rampage. It took us plenty of time to restore these beauties, but the result was well worth it. Tell me… How does it feel to behold the manifestation of your own vanity and see nothing but emptiness?”

“Well, well, well! You’re not so tough now, eh?” The Williams scion chuckled, getting cocky as well. He tootled towards the weakened Umbra, pulling a Fusion monster card out of his sleeve. “Time to reveal my own ace in the hole! This bad boy is called the Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and he’s gonna suck you so hard! Yeah, I know what I said!”

“Enough games!” A pair of gauntleted hands grasped his ankles and pulled him down.

“W-what?! H-how can you still move?!” A very startled Morty blurted out.

Umbra’s armored frame vibrated. With great difficulty, she crawled up to the fallen Mortimer, clasping his throat in a last-ditch attempt to claim yet another life. “I can’t afford to fall yet… I am the one who shall bring about the Promised Day… The earth WILL shatter! The oceans WILL dry! The sun WILL extinguish itself!”

“You’re nothing but a big meanie!” Jovie jumped her unexpectedly, wrapping her tiny arms around Umbra’s face and gnawing at her exposed white hair.

“Let go of me, you brat!” The woman shrieked and thrashed about in a disorderly manner.

Mortimer furrowed his brow resolutely. “I’ve had just about enough of you!” He yelled, taking his Thousand-Eyes Restrict card and pushing it against Umbra’s chest.

“NOOOOO!!” The Evilswarm avatar let out a deafening scream. Her black armor screamed with her, before splintering into the many sinister Duel Spirits it was made up of, all of whom were sucked into the card. The only thing left intact was the girl that she originally was - Sucillia Nevermore - who immediately collapsed on the ground.

“It absorbed them?” Henry raised his eyebrow.

The card fell down, whereupon it started to move on its own and budge unnaturally, prompting the Toon user to gasp in horror. “They’re trying to get out!”

“Oh no, they won’t!” The Infernoid Duelist flung the tiniest fireball at the card, burning it down along with the amalgamation of Evilswarm souls trapped inside, until nothing remained.

All around them, Duel Spirits that had been corrupted by the Virus toppled one after the other. Their eyes had stopped glowing with the baleful light of the Evilswarm, and their black embellishments disintegrated, restoring their bodies to their original, normal state. As cheers of victory blared throughout all of Endgame, it appeared that the Virus was gone for good…

“Jovie, you gave me such a spook! Don’t ever do that again!” The Williams scion mildly chastised the little girl, running up to her and embracing her tightly.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Morty…” Jovie hugged him back, sobbing into his chest.

Morty’s focus soon shifted to Sucillia’s motionless body. “Is she…” His voice trailed off.

Henry leaned down and placed two fingers on the woman’s neck. He realized that she still had a pulse - albeit a very weak one - which made him grin very subtly. “She’s dead.” He lied.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Mortimer broke into a bout of relieved laughter, while tears of untold joy dampened his scruffy face. “It’s over… It’s finally over!”

Sensing Sucillia’s current state thanks to his nigh-omniscience, Jax let out a gravelly roar. “NO! This can’t be over! This was NOT part of the plan! How could they have won?! How could Sucillia be defeated?!” He ranted, taking his own helmet off and crushing it between his strong hands in a fit of rage. “Fate must have favored them! It’s the only possible explanation! Fate itself must have conspired against my perfect plan! I AM perfection! Nobody could surpass the brilliance of my plan without resorting to cheating!”

His skybound construct began to rumble violently, much to his astonishment. The flashing circuitry went haywire, sparks flying out and explosions going off around it. “What is it now? Why is Heaven malfunctioning? It shouldn’t be! I ran the numbers time and time again! Unless… it’s being sabotaged from within.”

His mortified, verdant gaze fell on the jar that contained Souza’s head. The X-Saber warrior was gazing back at him, his look being one of disappointment and contempt…

The Psychic Duelist’s masterpiece crumbled before his eyes, resulting in Jax Axonus falling from the clouds - like a new Lucifer cast out of his own Heaven.

“SOUZA, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”


	20. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue.

Rain fell over a gloomy cemetery, where a man and a little girl, both of whom were clad in an assortment of various black clothing, mournfully stood in front of three adjacent tombstones - one moderately dirty, the other two clean and apparently recently-made. Their epitaphs included the names ‘Rocky’, ‘Alex’, and ‘Volantis’ engraved onto the stone.

“Goodbye, Mister Volantis… I’ll really miss you…” Jovie sniffled, leaving a big bouquet of flowers by the three graves.

Mortimer bit his lower lip hard, barely preventing himself from sobbing. He squatted on his knees and used a handkerchief to carefully wipe the tears from the girl’s eyes. “Looks like it’s just the two of us now, kiddo. Although… Volantis’ folks did offer to take you in. They seemed like nice people, so if you wanted to stay with them, I… I wouldn’t mind it at all.”

“What about you…? What will you do?” The child curiously inquired.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine… I’ll be fine.” Morty assured her, trying his best to put up a brave front.

Jovie threw her tiny arms around him in a heartwarming embrace. “I wanna stay with you!”

While initially taken aback, Mortimer grinned widely and hugged her back. “Together it is then! You’ll probably need to start calling me something other than ‘Uncle Morty’, though.”

“I’ll call you Dad!” The girl happily declared, breaking the hug.

“R-really? It was that simple for you to make the transition?!” The Toon user stammered.

“It feels right!” Jovie eagerly nodded. “Mister Volantis was like a Mom, because he always told me to eat all my food and get to bed early. Alex was like a big sister. And you always played games and watched cartoons with me, so you’re like a Dad!”

“If you say so, who am I to object!” The former hobo patted her head, while chuckling heartily.

With that, the duo held hands and made their way out of the cemetery. “The good news is that we won’t be bereft of a place to stay in the near future. Old Man Elias apparently had a change of heart - not of the Spell card variety - and wants to see me again.” Morty explained, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling a letter out that had been sent by one ‘Elias Williams’. “Boy, I can’t wait to see his face when he finds out that he’s now technically a grandfather!” He added with another laugh.

“Does Old Man Elias have a nice house?” Jovie quizzically asked.

“He does, but we won’t be staying there for long, I reckon.” The Williams scion replied. “I feel like I owe it to Volantis and the others to continue the work that Team Light started. To make sure their sacrifices weren’t for nothing… We might have defeated Sucy, but there’s still justice to be done out there!”

As it would happen, a torn out newspaper page was blown by the wind, landing right at their feet. It appeared to contain an article covering the death of Kase Heiji, the news of which had by now spread throughout the entire world. The headline read as follows:

‘War averted. Eastern Duel Spirit Kingdom absolved of all blame.’

Upon reading that, Mortimer’s visage darkened significantly. His mouth twisted into an infuriated scowl, as the last phrase rang incessantly inside his head…

‘Absolved of all blame’. ‘Absolved of all blame’. ‘Absolved of all blame’.

With no prior warning, he started repeatedly stomping on the piece of paper, and grinding his heel against it, smearing mud over the printed words in the process.

“What’s wrong…?” Jovie looked up at him with a somewhat worried expression.

“Nothing.” The mustachioed man curtly replied, regaining just a small amount of composure, while his scowl lingered on his face. “The bottom of my shoe was just dirty…”

The monotonous cadence of beeping machinery filled the clean and sterile hospital room where Henry currently was. The former supermodel was sitting next to a bedridden woman whose dormant body was barely kept alive via multiple IV injections and a respiratory mask.

“Are you familiar with the myth of Pandora’s box, Tierra?” Henry asked his fiendish Duel Spirit, who appeared to him in spectral form, coiling around his arm. “It is said that when the box was opened and all the evils contained within spilled out, only one thing remained inside - Hope. If the box is Sucillia in this case, and the escaped evils were the Evilswarm, I’m sure you can infer who ‘Hope’ is…”

 _“Indeed, while the Evilswarm are entirely gone, I can sense Sophia’sss divine aura in her… It isss weak, but it isss there…”_ The serpentine deity hissed. _“Isss that why you chose to rescue her, my child?”_

“Fellow vessels should help each other out, I suppose.” The raven-haired youth said, before shaking his head. “But no, that wasn’t the actual reason. I may be a malicious psychopath with no empathy for others, but still… I couldn’t, in good conscience, leave her at the hands of Endgame’s angry mobs or Heiji’s vengeful subjects - or even worse, to that self-righteous fool, Mortimer Williams. In the eyes of the rest of the world, she’s a mass murderer - a monster! Someone who should not be living. Someone just like me…” He paused, his lips slowly curving into a wide smile, until he finally started giggling.

 _“What isss the reason for your laughter?”_ A puzzled Tierra inquired.

“Everyone here thinks she was some innocent bystander who just happened to be in Endgame when the Evilswarm attacked! If only they knew!” The Crawford heir replied, barely containing his giddiness at the irony of it all. “Years from now, the world will only remember the masked terrorist Umbra, and the fear that she brought with her. They won’t know a thing about the beautiful young woman behind the mask. It makes me wonder…” His voice trailed off, as he stared pensively at Sucillia’s closed eyes. “If they saw her right now in this sorry state, would they still hate her, or would they pity her?”

 _“What about you, my child… Do you pity her?”_ Tierra asked him.

Henry visibly hesitated to answer that query, opting instead to change the subject. “Unlike her, I can’t afford the luxury of keeping my real name anymore. The Draconian Dignitary, and by extension Henry T. Crawford, is a wanted criminal. As much as I hate it, I’ll have to go back to living a boring and unfulfilling life, so as not to draw too much attention to myself. Maybe I’ll enroll back in Duel Academy and actually graduate it…”

The sound of approaching footsteps cut his musings about the future short, as a demonic-looking Duel Spirit clad in a green surgical attire soon walked in. “You must be David Kingsley, correct?” They asked, checking the patient file held in their sanitized hands.

“That’s me.” The Infernoid Duelist confirmed with a straight face. “Tell me the news, doctor.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Kingsley, we have yet to determine the cause of your fiancée’s coma.” The Duel Spirit physician said, while adjusting their round, three-eyed spectacles. “As you should know - but I shall reiterate, just in case - a coma can last anywhere from several days to several weeks, or even years. There is no telling when she might wake up.”

“That’s fine, doctor.” The raven-haired youth stated, gently placing his hand over the comatose woman’s own. “I will wait for her as long as it takes…”

A large and imposing man slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in the middle of a massive cavern buried deep, deep underground. Fire spewed eternally from the crimson walls, while the wailful moaning of tormented souls echoed all around him.

“It has been a long time, Matteo de Souza… Welcome to the Burning Abyss.” A flamboyantly dressed figure greeted him, wearing an oversized hat that obscured part of their visage.

“Virgil… It’s been a long time indeed.” The man rose to full height. The hot lava that flowed in a trench beside him illuminated his bare, musclebound form in an orange hue.

“You have traveled a lot and achieved many things, but this is where it all ends.” The big-hatted bard strummed a stylized electric guitar. “This is not my decision. Everybody’s time comes eventually. My job is simply to guide them through whatever trials await them… Know that you will be judged harshly for your own sins, as well as those of your followers.”

The disembodied moans grew louder and louder, composing an intense symphony of dread.

“I am also obligated to tell you that you should not harbor any delusions of ever leaving this place. You have come to the Burning Abyss to stay, my friend…”

Several fiery pillars erupted from the lake of lava.

Souza smiled, parting his lips.

“‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’”

**THE END?**


End file.
